MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 25 



close beside him for some time, and then asked him 

 if he durst do the like. I, however, saw, by his 

 hesitation, that the performance by him was given 

 up, and he only remarked that "one may soon 

 get what one'll never cast." 



At another time, in broad day light, I took it 

 into my head to make another trial of this kind 

 upon my father's pitmen. For this purpose I 

 detained our cur dog, until I buckled him up 

 in a pair of old " sods/' which covered him 

 beyond both head and tail, and set him off to 

 the pit, knowing well that he would go straight 

 there; for he was accustomed every day to leave 

 the pit lodge, and go home, where he waited until 

 he saw that dinner was ready, and then his re- 

 appearance at the pit was as good as telling my 

 father and his servants to come home. I durst 

 not have thus amused myself if I had not known 

 that my father was out of the way. I set off on 

 the inside of the hedge, keeping pace with the 

 dog all the way up to the pit heap, near which I 

 stopped, and peeped to see the effect 'that would 

 be produced ; and this was really curious. One 

 of the men, seeing the odd appearance of some- 

 thing alive, with a long body, without either legs, 

 head, or tail, moving straight forward towards 

 him, knew not what to make of it ; and, after rub- 

 bing his eyes, he ran off to his companions, who, 

 when they had taken a peep, all set off, with 

 speed, on their way home. 



In a business of a similar kind, which happened 

 not long after, it was my lot to be the sufferer. A 

 few companions used to come at nights to our 

 house to play at cards with me, and I, in turn, 



visited them for the same purpose. We w T ere, 



D 



