VERMIN CATCHING, ETC. 121 



head-keeper gave when he saw how he had been 

 sold, I am assured, could only have been des- 

 cribed by Herr Schultz at the Egyptian Hall. 

 But 'served him right' will be the general 

 judgment of those who have heard the case." 



For impudence I do not think the above para- 

 graph can be beaten. 



A swell keeper, that is to say, a swell non- 

 working one, is a useless article. A keeper,, 

 whether he be a flash one or not, should per- 

 fectly understand his business in all its branches, 

 and should not be above his station. 



I recollect a friend of mine having one of 

 these useless gentlemen, who was far above 

 cleaning a gun, in fact doing anything but 

 smoking a mere sham, as he called it, and which 

 had been given to him by some grandee, or 

 bragging about his " Westley Richards " which 

 he had done a scion of a noble house out of. 



I got at this fellow's character pretty quickly, 

 found he was no shot, knew little or nothing 

 about dogs, game rearing, or trapping ; in fact, 

 was a humbug. Yet to hear him talk, 

 the way he caught poachers, did this, and 



