THE COCKPIT 223 



self-defence across the faces of the young blades as 

 they galloped recklessly across him, from the cords to 

 the river-rails. 



After dinner on the day of his arrival there was a long 

 audience with Joe Gilliver, his feeder, to sound him as to 

 the condition of his cocks, and to learn his opinion of the 

 coming main. This worthy was also a remarkable person- 

 age, and was certainly one of the most celebrated cock- 

 feeders England ever produced. But he had one rival in 

 his own day, who was not far behind him — one Potter, who 

 fed for Lord Derby. It was Joe's boast that he had fought 

 for the largest sums of money ever staked on a main — 

 namely, a thousand guineas a battle and five thousand on 

 the main. This was fought at Lincoln, and won by 

 Gilliver, who was fortunate enough to get five out of the 

 seven battles. "Setting" was quite a distinct profession 

 from feeding, and from fifteen to thirty guineas was the 

 regular fee for a great main. Gilliver tried both depart- 

 ments; but it was said that he held cocks clumsily in 

 his great hands, and that Owen Probyn of Birmingham 

 was in this respect greatly superior. The latter v.'as de- 

 scribed as an " asthmatic, death-like man, with a long 

 thumb and nail which he could use so deftly that he was 

 esteemed three battles in the main better than any of his 

 compeers." 



Well, Joe Gilliver was for a time feeder to the Doctor as 

 well as to Mr Legh of Lyme, who was as famous for his 

 breed of cocks as for his breed of mastiffs. And long and 

 earnest were his confabs with the Doctor, who would slip 

 away from the sporting company to watch his brown-red 

 champions busy in their pen, scratching at a fresh-cut sod 

 or a spadeful of gravel from the bottom of the Dee. In 

 some ssasons he would send out a thousand chickens to 

 the walks which were placed at his service on the 

 Combermere, Stanington, Adderley, Toddington, Peckfor- 

 ton, Beeston, Oulton, and other estates in Cheshire, 

 Shropshire, and Wales. He had always, therefore, an 

 immense stock of birds to choose from, and he would have 

 a hundred cocks taken up from their walks for Chester, in 

 order that his feeder might select the best and put them in 



