8 9 



is easily replied to. His father, who was himself a 

 sportsman, had a seat and estate in Essex, and had entered 

 him when young to hounds, and to those of one of the 

 best and most zealous sportsmen of his own or any other 

 days the renowned Mr. Charles Newman. Again, the 

 country hunted by him was one likely to make a man 

 both a sportsman and a horseman, being full of large 

 covers, very strongly fenced, and noted for the stoutness 

 of its foxes. At an early age, however, few went better 

 over it than young Hargrave did, on a small thorough-bred 

 horse, which went by the name of The Phenomenon ; and 

 he was looked upon in the neighbourhood as likely to 

 shine, at some future period, in a better country than 

 Essex, although famous for the stoutness of its foxes. 



From what has been said of Hargrave, it is scarcely 

 necessary to state that he was acquainted with all the sport- 

 ing characters, noble and ignoble, Oxford then could boast 

 of, and that, by virtue of his seniority in the University, 

 he had the honour of introducing them to Frank Raby. 

 Amongst these was a very celebrated character whose 

 name was Will Stuart, and of whom a short notice must 

 be taken. He was, in the first place, one of the hand- 

 somest fellows in the country ; of robust form withal ; 

 and declared by himself, and very generally believed, to 

 be descended somehow from the royal house of Stuart. 

 But his occupations could scarcely be called royal at all 

 events, not in the modern acceptation of that word. He 

 was a deer-stealer, a dog-stealer, a pond-robber, and a 

 poacher in all ways, from a pheasant to a jack-snipe ; in 

 tact, he would accommodate his employers in any way, 

 provided they paid him well. But Stuart's forte lay in the 

 difficult art of persuasion, of which the following is one 

 rather remarkable example : 



" Won't you buy this capital dog of me ? " said he to a 

 young man who told him he considered him too dear by 

 at least two guineas. 



" Not at that price," replied the young man. 



" Then," resumed Billy, "you consider two guineas an 

 object when the ' maximum of excellence ' is to be obtained, 

 as you gentlemen calls it. Now, when you comes to take 

 your degree, I'll tell you what they'll say to you : they'll 

 tell you, that a little more studying would have put you in 

 the first class ; but for want of that little, you'll be no- 

 where." And so it turned out. 



