60 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



ran from Euston to Boxmore, and the line was 

 afterwards carried on to Northchurch, and 

 through the Northchurch tunnel. 



At this time Ball was ill, so Mr. Ryder's 

 butler came over to Chesham to see my father 

 about me ; the result being that I went to 

 Boxmore to look after the tame pheasants, on 

 the understanding that, if Ball died, I was to 

 take his place, but, if he recovered, I was to go 

 back to my father. Ball did recover, I am glad 

 to say, and was living at Boxmore in March, 1885. 

 Nothing of any interest occurred during the 

 few months I held the situation, except that I 

 shot some navvies' dogs. Some of these were 

 beautiful dogs, — Bull terriers, Italian grey- 

 hounds, and some known as " plum pudding" 

 dogs, being speckled and spotted all over, like 

 a plum pudding. 



The navvies used to come into the woods to 

 look for me, and they would find their dogs 

 dead, sure enough, but me they never caught. 

 They would search in and around the trees and 

 shrubs but could not find "the little devil " — 

 meaning me — " or they would hang him in a 



