THE HEDGEHOG A GAME EATER. 137 



day's excellent sport, which nothing but un- 

 wearying patience, and a strict look-out could 

 have given them. 



A good keeper is a scarce article, and happy 

 is the man who possesses such ; he should regard 

 him as the " apple of his eye/' and treat him ac- 

 cordingly, and not let a few shillings wages 

 stand in the way. It is all very well for your 

 " young bloods," who have their thousands and 

 tens of thousands a year, to take their well- 

 finished breech-loader in hand, and knock down 

 feather and fur; but the real sportsman, I 

 opine, is the man who can not only do that, but 

 know how to get up a head of game, and keep 

 it up, who knows how to breed by hand, dog- 

 break, trap and snare. Many a scion of a noble 

 house would say, " What the dooce is all that 

 to me, I pay my keepers to do the work, I pay 

 to have game, and I have got it ; what more can 

 a fellar want ? I'm not going out to be involved 

 in a row with a lot of infernal poachers, and get 

 a black eye, or some of my teeth knocked dowji 

 my throat ! I'm dooced comfortable where I 

 am have another weed, old fellar, and pass the 

 claret." 



