8 Memoir of Tom Smith. 



Tom, wlio ever liked variety, never missed 

 an opportnnity of sport of any other kind. So 

 lie was ever ready to act as marker to the par- 

 ties of shooters that his father often enter- 

 tained ; and they were the gainers from the 

 extraordinary aj^titude that he showed for 

 marking a covey. Bnt he was very near doing 

 this once too often. It haj)pened, when he 

 was on a visit at Marlow, that he was out 

 with his uncle and another gentleman; and, 

 when passing by the side of a young hedge- 

 row, the pointer stood at a rabbit. Tom was 

 told to go on the other side and tlu'ow a stone 

 to drive the rabbit towards the shooters. He 

 was about to do so, when the rabbit started, 

 both gentlemen fired, and down went their 

 young marker, apparentlj'' killed. Each ac- 

 cusing the other as the author of the mischief, 

 they rushed towards him, and found a hole 

 the size of a crown-piece in his hat. This 

 redoubled theii' fears; but they found he was 

 only stimned, and, placing him on the siiootin 





