32 A Sportsman at Large 



fortnight, and returned, on those occasions, to my cherished 

 home, full of joy and thanksgiving. 



At this preparatory school I began to take an interest in 

 sports and pastimes unconnected with the pursuit of the wild ; 

 such as cricket, football, athletics, prisoner's base, marbles 

 and pegtop spinning ; being most successful in the first and 

 last of these ; though I had a decided penchant for marbles. 

 Here was the gambling spirit revealing itself. My combative 

 bumps swelled, and I grew keen as mustard on acquiring, 

 through my skill, the bulk of my school-fellows' store of alley 

 taws, blood-alleys and other desirable trophies. I was a 

 bit of a knut too, at " Conquerors." I invented a method of 

 pickling my horse chestnuts which rendered them quite 

 pachydermatous and impervious to the impact of my op- 

 ponents' " champions." 



At that time, Elstree School was administered by the Rev. 

 Thompson Podmore, a great believer in the " spare the rod, 

 spoil the child " theory. Nothing he loved better than to hear 

 his stiff cane lash on the outheld hand of a delinquent. Such 

 would raise a great blood-blister, which generally put that 

 particular member out of action for a week. But I was in 

 " Pod's " good graces and was never called upon to obey 

 the command : " hold out your hand ! " 



I may say, here and now, that not once during my boyhood 

 (or since, of course) was I subjected to corporal punishment, 

 by the various masters who had authority over my person ; 

 though all three schools, Totteridge, Elstree and Harrow, were 

 given to the practice of physical torture. Perhaps it was 

 because I was a very small boy and looked extremely delicate 

 (which I sure was not !) that caused the pundits to refrain 

 from the assault and battery of my flesh ; and yet I was 

 always " asking for it." Some people, like cunning horses, 

 when severely pressed, are given to looking out for " rat holes " 

 in which to take refuge, and they generally find one. I think 

 I must be of this kidney. Of one thing I am quite certain, 

 and that is, that it was not my transcendant virtue or amena- 

 bility to discipline which saved me from painful inflictions on 

 my epidermis. 



I am an antagonist of corporal punishment on horse, dog 



