310 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



belching forth black mud and duckweed, like a humanised 

 volcano. 



B was in the act of taking his involuntary dive 



when " Rufus " appeared on the scene, accompanied by 

 an old bob -tail sheep-dog. 



" Dear ! dear ! danged if ye didn't do that neat as Bill 

 Summer's owd cow, when her fell hinter the gert owd fleet 

 last summer. Doubt there be a wonderful lot o' slob in 

 that yer dick, a- judging from yer appearance, maister ? 

 But theer ! it bain't no fault o' mine that the dicks be 

 choaked, for I did tell the governor as how they should be 

 cleaned out last toime he were over a-gunning. Well ! 

 well ! there bain't no need to cuss and swear like that over 

 a dive into a dick, maister ; and ye be a proper mash- 

 man^ now. Whoy, ye bain't a-going to leave yer gun 

 behind ye, be ye ? " 



" Oh ! (gasp) d n (splutter) the gun (spit), and get 



(snort) to blazes out (gasp) of this, you red-headed little 

 brute (gasp, spit, snort), or I'll " 



" What 'uU ye do, maister ? Ye mustn't come 'ere 

 a -threatening innocent people for nothink ; even if you do 

 come from Lunnon, and reckon yerself a gunner, jest 

 because ye happens to fall into a dick," cried the awful 

 little marshman, from the safe side of the dyke, as poor 



B scrambled out of the foully- smelling mud and 



water. 



" By gad ! if you don't get out of my sight I'll shoot 

 you ! " roared, or rather gurgled, out B . 



1 No man may be called a " marshman " until he has tumbled into a dyke. 



