94 COCK-FIGHTING 



at the Landport Gates, and accompany them, keeping 

 time to their martial music ; did a detachment of invalids, 

 sick or wounded, disembark, we were on the beach to 

 receive them ; did a bull-bait take place in the neighbour- 

 hood, or a cock-fight call us out of town, we were 

 there too. Of the first, I may say I never witnessed but 

 one ; but the picture of the maddened beast, the sleek 

 and courageous clog tossed high in the air — his master, 

 running with outstretched arms to catch him — while his 

 entrails protruded from the orifice made by the horns of 

 the foamino- and bellowing; bull, the tears of ano-uish shed 

 over his pet friend and companion by the man who had 

 trained him to the cruel sjDort, of which he had just 

 become the victim, convinced us both that it was a most 

 degrading pastime. The other, though of an equally 

 demoralizing nature, did not appear as brutal in its 

 character, and did not attract such low company. 



There was a gentleman in the little town of Bishops 

 Waltham that annually had an exhibition of this sort, 

 who generally had some first-rate birds, and we were in 

 the habit of meeting there some of the first people in the 

 neighbourhood. 



On one of these occasions I remember two men, who 

 had the appearance of gentlemen, but were nothing more 

 than London black-legs, as was afterwards ascertained. 

 They refused to pay some debts I had fairly won of them, 

 so I unceremoniously horsewhipped them out of the pit. 



But from these peccadilloes of a youthful spirit, fond of 

 seeing life in all its phases, let me turn to what perhaps 

 may be more interesting to the reader. 



Among other remarkable occurrences of this time was 



