142 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



my hair with my right hand^ — which was another 

 favourite trick of his —I remarked : — " Ahem! ' 

 just as I had heard him do. Hereupon every- 

 one in court burst out laughing, judge and jury 

 with the rest, and some one called out : — " The 

 little bantam against the old turkey cock." 



Counsellor Ball was a big heavy man of 

 fifteen or sixteen stone, whereas I am very 

 short and light, so, as compared with him, I 

 must have looked very much like a bantam 

 cock, in point of size. I may add that I felt 

 very much like that bird, for I never could stand 

 bullying of any kind. 



Well, after silence was restored, I was 

 ordered to state the case. Now I never could 

 relate the simplest thing without a certain 

 amount of acting. In luy opinion, if a story is 

 worth telling at all it is worth telling properly, 

 and a little acting should therefore be introduced 

 into it. So I had not been in the witness box 

 two minutes before I was carried away with 

 the thoughts of my recent struggle, and lived 

 over again, in imagination, every single incident 

 of that adventure. I was on my hands and 



i 



