134 THE TEINITY FOOT BEAGLES 



which had afflicted two puppies, Garlic and Gossip, that had been 

 sent me to walk, and of their successful cure. I had also cured 

 a deerhound of my own with the T.F.B. prescription, only to have 

 him cut up by a train a few weeks after. That was enough to 

 fairly loose Bob's tongue. He knew what sort of dogs they was. 

 " Why, two of them saved my life once, sir ! " 



He had taken the hounds to Earl Fitzwilliam's one vacation, 

 when as Lord Milton he was Master of T.F.B., and had lodged with 

 the keeper. They had been shooting bucks in the park, one in 

 particular, for an annual present to some local municipality, and 



one night one of them — " It was 

 rutting time, and you knows what 

 that is, sir ! When they've got 

 their 'orns all big and wunnerfid 

 strong " — one of them chased Bob, 

 who Hed, and eventually — I cannot 

 remember all the details — man- 

 aged to divert his attention to two 

 chained-up deerhounds, while he 

 (Bob) climbed some railings. He 



From T.F.B.C. Book. j.|^g^ ^^^^^ qj^ ^q g^y ^}^q^^ many of 



them stags was wonderful savage. " We used to lay out beans for 

 them, and one of 'em turned over the barrow that stood by. Oh ! 'e 

 did put it all about, sir ! and tlie keeper he gives me a gun and tells 

 me to wait. ' But mind, whatever you do, don't shoot close,' he says. 

 And the old stag, 'e conies again and turns the l)arrow over an' all. 

 And when 'e turns to go off I gives 'im thirty yards, and then — oh 

 dear ! oh dear ! you should 'a' seed the fur a-fiyin' out all round 'is 

 tail ! Dust shot it were, sir ! Both barrels ! Oh yes, sir ! " 



Here Bob paused for much-needed breath, and 1 took the chance 

 to explain that I wanted a methodical account of his life and 

 remembrances, and of how he became Kennelman to T.F.B. Bob 

 showed himself as willing as any other beagler to contribute what 

 he could, and from the sample he had put in I had high hopes of 

 " copy." But for the present Bob had much to do. The administra- 

 tion of vermifuge to an entire pack is a bigger business than the 



