Ferreting 213 



was a sober man too as men go, that is he did not get 

 drunk more than once a month. A strong man must 

 drink now and then : but he was not a sot, and took 

 nine-tenths of his money faithfully home to his wife 

 and children. 



In the winter when farm work is not so pressing 

 he was allowed a week off now and then, which he 

 spent in ferreting for the farmers, and sometimes for 

 Luke, and of course he was only too glad to get such 

 an engagement as we gave him. Sometimes he made 

 a good thing of his ferreting : sometimes when the 

 weather was bad it was a failure. But although a 

 few shillings were of consequence to him, it really did 

 not seem to be the money-value but the sport that he 

 loved. To him that sport was all-absorbing. 



His ferrets were well looked after, and he some- 

 times sold one for a good price to keepers. As a rule 

 a man who keeps ferrets is suspected : but Little 

 John was too well understood, and he had no difficulty 

 in begging a little milk for them. 



His tenacity in pursuit of a rabbit was always a 

 source of wonder to me. In rain, in wind, in frost ; 

 his feet up to the ankle in the ice-cold slush at the 

 bottom of a ditch : no matter what the weather or 

 how rough, he patiently stood to his nets. I have 

 known him stand the whole day long in a snowstorm 



