120 EXPERIENCES OF SPORT. 



I can vouch, shows that in the South of England, 

 at least, the tax is sought to be levied as- 

 strictly as the income tax in the North of Eng- 

 land. A nobleman a thorough sportsman, who 

 may be said to have shot from ' China to Peru ' 

 left London to shoot with a friend in the 

 south-western district, and returned in the 

 afternoon of the same day he started from 

 Waterloo station. Having shot for three or 

 four hours, on leaving he put a couple of 

 sovereigns in the head-keeper's hand. It might 

 be generally supposed such a gratuity would 

 have been ample for any man in that sphere of 

 life, and he would have been grateful for it ; 

 but, to the astonishment of the donor, the 

 keeper, touching his hat, returned the douceur 

 to him, saying, ' That he begged his pardon, but 

 he never took anything less than paper money !' 

 On hearing this cool avowal his lordship was 

 determined he should not be disappointed, and 

 therefore handed the sovereigns over to the under- 

 keeper, by whom they were thankfully received, 

 as I suppose he had studied Lord Overstone's 

 letter on ' The Currency Question/ and knew 

 the value of ' metallic reserves/ The look the 



