204 England's oldest hunt. 



a " flop," and off went the top of the rod and the fish. Whether 

 the huntsman-fisherman had approached the bank a little 

 incautiously, it is impossible to say, but when the fish went 

 away there was a fine flow of language from his patron. 

 Jack did not tend to put an end to the volume of it by 

 sitting down and laughing heartily. " What the deuce are 

 you laughing at, you old fool ? " asked the fisherman. 

 " Whya," answered Jack, " Ah's laughin' ta think that if 

 you hadn't been born a gentleman, what a fine natter al 

 blackguard you'd 'a'e made." 



On another occasion he was out with a party of local 

 gentlemen shooting. He was quite as good as any professional 

 entertainer, and was in great demand. At lunch he 

 joined the party, and was handed some pate-de-fois gras, to 

 which he helped himself somewhat liberally with a large 

 clasp knife, which had severed many a fox's mask from the 

 trunk. A South-country nobleman, much amused with 

 Jack's methods, asked him what it was he was eating. 

 The answer provoked a roar of laughter : " Whya, Ah seea 

 Ah can't hardlins tell ya, but its maist of owt leyke pig's 

 liver deean up iv a fresh way, an' spoiled wiv impruvment." 



On one occasion (says a local sportsman) Jack was 

 invited to stop to dinner at the Hall after a day's 

 hunting, in which he had been joined by some young 

 bloods from Duncombe Park. The servants were 

 put up to play tricks on Jack. Soup came on, and 

 Jack had got his second spoonful when away went his plabe, 

 which was replaced by a plate of fish by another footman. 

 Before Jack could speak a word, and when he had only got 

 one bite from off his plate, it disappeared, and was followed 

 by a helping of game. At this juncture his lordship inquired 

 how Jack was progressing, to which he made the following 

 characteristic reply : — Whya, me lord, Ah thowt Ah'd 

 stopped ti 'a'e me dinner, but these powder-headed deeavils 

 here weean't let ma. Ah gat some soup — an' varry nice 

 it war an' all — but t'lubber clicked it away ez seean ez Ah'd 

 tasted it. Then Ah gat just yah tasty bit o' fish ti me 

 mouth an' off went me plate ageean like lightning. Bud 



