SCIENCE OF FOXHUNTING. 423 



and blackguards of every description, who, on hear- 

 ing from the landlord that the nephew of farmer 

 Hancock had just been taken by the Squire as 

 keeper, ventured most impudently to utter threats 

 and anathemas against persons undertaking such 

 discreditable offices^ declaring how they would serve 

 him if attempting to interfere with their amuse- 

 ments; but the young keeper, not relishing the 

 language addressed to him, soon set the matter in 

 dispute on a right footing, by dealing his services 

 around upon his assailants more Tom Spring, knock- 

 ing one fellow first off his pins, and then two or 

 three to tumble over him; so that, with the co- 

 operation of uncle H., they were soon like the army 

 of Sennacherib, all dead corpses — at least hors-de. 

 combat — in less time than it has taken me to relate 

 the encounter. This onslaught and terrific dealing 

 with his opponents taught our country yokels to 

 keep their heads a long way out of milling distance 

 from the new keeper, who, sooth to say, was as 

 expert at single-stick or back-sword as with his 

 mawleys. Moreover, he was a wide-awake fellow, 

 out all night — not at a public-house, but on his beat 

 or rounds — and sleeping by day. In short, he 

 turned out just the man we wanted ; and as at that 

 time, between school and college, little of our time 

 was spent at home, he shot game also in large quan- 

 tities, with which my father never seemed satisfied, 

 having so many friends to supply with this com- 

 modity. 



In those times there were no iron roads, no handy 

 stations at which baskets of game might be left for 



