THE MASTER AT COTTONWOOL'S 23 



circumstances! " IV/io the lull are you, sir?'' exclaimed his 

 grace, coming on an unfortunate wight, hat in hand, capping 

 the hounds. 



"And who the hell arej'ou .'" replied the stranger, a captain 

 in the sea service. 



" They comr/io/ily call me the Duke of ," rejoined his 



grace, adding, " Now, sir, there are the hounds, hunt them, 

 and be d — d to you." 



Talking of sailors, reminds us of an amusing account given 

 by Nimrod of a certain nautical M.P. and ex-master of fox- 

 hounds' mode of addressing a constituent in the field. " Come 

 here, you ten-pound radical rascal and open this gate." Here 

 is another. A few years back an action was brought by a 

 sailor against a captain of a merchant-man, for ill-usage, when 

 it appearing to be but the second time of " asking," the judge 

 was curious to know Jack's reasons for sailing again with so 

 inhuman a captain. 



" Why, please your honour," said Jack, hitching up his 

 trousers, " I war'nt for sailin' with him again, but I couldn't 

 help it ; (lie captain has such winning ways with htm." 



"Winning ways," observed his lordship, "what do j-ou 

 mean by winning ways ? " " Wh}-, please my Lord," resumed 

 Jack, " the captain comes alongside me, on the quay, slaps me 

 on the back and says, ' What ! Jack, you ill-looking, blear- 

 eyed, squinting scoundrel, arn't you going to sail along with 

 me ? ' " Jack couldn't resist so touching an appeal. 



Beckford gives an amusing account of a Master, whose 

 blowings up combined the " suaviter in niodo" with the 

 " fortitcr in re." 



" An acquaintance of mine," writes he, " a good sportsman, 

 but a very warm one, when he sees the company pressing too 

 close upon his hounds, begins with crying out, as loud as he 

 cvin," Hold hijrd\" If any one should persist after that, he begins 

 moderately at first, and says, "/ beg, sir, you, ivill stop your 



