My First Gun. 3 



My father, who was engaged in professional 

 pursuits, was a sportsman to a certain extent. 

 He was very fond and a good judge of horses, 

 and always kept two or three good ones. He 

 was also a rare judge of cattle ; and if he had 

 not been cut off somewhat before his time, 

 w^ould have made his mark in the shorthorn 

 world. But, fond as he was of horses and 

 cattle, he most cordially hated a dog or a gun, 

 particularly the latter. (His dislike of the 

 former was occasioned by. his having some of 

 his pigs bitten by a mad dog ; I just recollect 

 seeing them raving mad, and their being shot.) 



There was another thing which very much 

 increased my sporting tastes and propensities. 

 In my father's library there were, besides a few 

 other books on sports, including Daniel's Rural 

 Sports^ a rare lot of the old Sporting Magazine ; 

 and long before I could read, every time I 

 could get the chance I was continually looking 

 at and devouring, with all my eyes, the engrav- 

 ings which they contained. I soon learned to 

 know every one of them, and even to this day 

 I can remember and describe them all ; they 

 made an impression time cannot, death only 

 can, eiface. 



