200 Memoir of Tom Smith. 



pleased with tliem than with the two bull- clogs 

 in the dining-room, from which he once had a 

 very narrow escape. His lordship one morning 

 took his gun to shoot wild geese ; but as one 

 man has a better chance than two if together, 

 his visitor preferred to spend the morning in 

 the stable and the kennel. He was crossing 

 the moat on his way to the garden, when he 

 suddenly heard and saw the two bull-dogs 

 rushing straight at him. He instantly threw 

 his red pocket-handkerchief to a distance, 

 clapped his hands, and hallooed them towards 

 it. The noise was fortunately heard by the 

 old butler, who called off the brutes, and pre- 

 yented their doing further mischief than tear- 

 ing up the handkerchief instead of its owner. 

 "When his lordship was told of this, he shook 

 his head, and said, ^^You have had a narrow 

 escape;" which indeed seemed to be the case, 

 judging from instances that he mentioned of 

 the ferocity of these dogs. "Why he kept such 

 savages about him as he represented them to 



