SHOOTING A WILD BULL. 5 



grand jury of my county, that since the prize-fight 

 and village boxing-match have been put down, the 

 more serious and foreign custom of an appeal to the 

 knife has supervened. 



Among the laughable scenes of my boyish years 

 at Cranford, were two that occurred with that good- 

 humoured vocalist, Mr. William Knyvet, and the 

 late Mr. Duruset. Duruset was intrusted with a 

 gun, one day in October, and told to shoot ; and we 

 were beating a field of potatoes that, ere the disease 

 was known, afforded cover above the knees. AYe 

 knew that nothing valuing its life, except a pheasant, 

 ought to be in front of the singer ; so finding that 

 he was not keeping his line, I desired him to " come 

 on." We halted the line to get him up, and then 

 for the first time I became aware that he was walk- 

 ing like a man with a very bad string-halt, his toe 

 clearing the extreme tops of the haulm. Having 

 asked him why he did not keep up, and wherefore 

 he had such remarkable action, " Action !" he replied ; 

 " come on, indeed ! it's all very well for you to do 

 as you please, but it won't do for me to spoil the 

 peasant's vegetables." 



One day word had been brought to me, that a mad 

 or over-driven ox was in the fields adjoining the park, 

 that he had tossed an old woman. The drivers 

 prayed me to shoot him. Knyvet and Duruset 

 jumped at my invitation to " see me shoot a wild 

 bull," and I am doubtful if Duruset did not expect 

 a seat in some gallery, under an indistinct idea of 

 a Spanish bull- fight. Out we went, and we were 

 looking for the bull, when the drover, who was with 

 us, cried out suddenly, " Here he comes !" There 

 was a small clump of fir-trees near, with a low rail 



B 3 



