122 SONS OF NIMROD 



wliat slight grounds, and for what unworthy purposes, 

 two immortal souls may be put in jeopardy, and the laws 

 of man and the commandments of God broken and 

 despised. 



Among the officers of my acq^uaintance in the garrison 

 was a captain of a militia regiment, who had long been 

 stationed at Portsmouth, of which he was also adjutant. 

 He was a tall, fine, soldierlike looking man, and withal a 

 thorough-bred sportsman. I had met him frequently in 

 the field, particularly with two other friends of mine in 

 the country, with whom he was at all times glad to 

 associate, as they were all three favourite sons of X imrod, 

 and emulated each other in all the accomplishments of that 

 celebrated hunter of the field. Indeed, such a trio, with 

 such real love for, and thorough knowledge of, field 

 sports, in every branch, and all so similarly endowed by 

 nature for their enjoyments, it has not been my fortune 

 to meet with since. 



"With one, who was near my own age, I was on closer 

 terms of intimacy than I was with the others. He had 

 an elder and an only brother, who was a beneficed clei'gy- 

 man in Northamptonshire. Living so wide apart, and 

 their pursuits being as widely different, the brothers did 

 not often meet, though there was no want of affection on 

 either side. 



On one of these rare occujTences, when stopping at the 

 vicarage, the elder brother, as became his profession, took 

 upon him after dinner to expatiate upon the necessity of 

 every good member of society making himself thoroughly 

 acquainted with the Bible, adding that he feared, from 

 what he had heard of the sjDorting joropensities of his 



