THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 117 



question put to another helper. "Captain Askham's, 

 ?ir." "And these?" resumed the old gentleman, on 

 finding six more in another stable. " Captain Askham's, 

 sir." "And these?" ditto repeated in a third. "Cap- 

 tain Askham's, sir." " And pray whose bear is that 1 " 

 inquired the uncle of another man, whose path he crossed 

 in the yard. "Captain Askham's, sir." "And the 

 monkey ? " " The Captain's, sir." " My God ! " exclaimed 

 the uncle ; " and pray where is the Captain himself ? " 

 '' A-bed, in the house," answered his informant. " Let 

 me see him, then," resumed the old one ; "show me the 

 way to his room." 



The sequel to this story is short. The uncle addressed 

 his nephew with : " I am just come in time to save you 

 from a jail. Tn six months more you will be in one. I 

 will advance what is requisite to discharge your debts, on 

 your assigning to me the rental of your estate, until they 

 are all liquidated ; and, in the meantime, I will allow you 

 two thousand pounds a year." The Captain consented to 

 this proposal. He retired to his seat in a distant country, 

 "to starve," as he expressed himself, "on two thousand a 

 year ; " but by good management, the general result of 

 dearly-bought experience, he contrived to live very much 

 like a gentleman, and to indulge himself in his favourite 

 passion for the road, but only to the extent of one coach, 

 and one team of tolerably good greys. In a few years his 

 encumbrances were paid off ; he once more became the 

 receiver of his own rents, and no man made a better use 

 than he did of eight thousand a year, cutting his coat 

 according to his cloth, and having nothing more to do with 

 either monkeys or bears. 



It is scarcely necessary to observe, that this party had 

 not long passed through Hide Park turnpike, before the 

 subject of hunting formed a part of their discourse. It 

 was commenced by Sir John himself, with some questions 

 put to Lord Edmonston, whom he had not seen, until 

 that morning, since the hunting season had concluded. 



" Well, Edmonston," said Sir John, " what have you 

 been doing this season in Leicestershire 1 I mean since 

 Christmas, because Somerby, who has been visiting his 

 friends in our part of the world, told me what you had 

 done previously to that time. I daresay you have had 

 good sport, as the season has been open, and there have 

 been no complaints of want of scent." 



