104 The Old Surrey Fox Hounds 



Mr. Gower's place at Titsey, "where," he observed dryly, 

 " we were not expected to miss." 



In respect to cricket, he stated, he once stopped at the 

 wickets so long that the opposition suddenly vanished 

 into space in search of beer. It was a village-green 

 match, with rural nymphs to intensify the enjoyment of 

 those revels, notably towards the evening. One may 

 imagine the picturesque scene with the appreciation of a 

 connoisseur who has not yet forgotten the rudiments of 

 his art. Sam Hills at cricket — a noble pose ! 



" When," he resumed, " the disheartened villagers 

 came back after their beer, I was still not out eighty- three, 

 but they had got up a new plan of attack. One of them, 

 quite the largest, clearly a bruiser, marched forward with 

 clenched fists, saying that he wished to c take me on at a 

 different game. If,' he added, c I can't knock your wicket 

 down I can knock you down'; and as he certainly looked 

 as if he could do so I did not give much further trouble. 

 But we won in a trot." 



His fondness for animals of all sorts is another of Sam 

 Hills' genial characteristics. He has always been able to 

 do pretty much as he liked with them ; the sympathy 

 has been reciprocal. Thus, at one time during his reign 

 over the Old Surrey, he had a tame fox and a tame deer 

 at the kennels. Both used to trot along with hounds at 

 exercise, also lying and feeding with them : the warmest 

 affection existed between that happy family. Hounds 

 missed their fox and deer if the latter happened to be 

 absent. 



