^6 How I Became a Sportsmax. 



living, to some constitutions, and attention to 

 the good things of this life, will enable a man 

 to pass the latter years of his life with more 

 pleasure to himself, with less trouble to others, 

 than falls to the lot of those who live a life of 

 ease and luxury. '^ At forty," says an old pro- 

 verb, " a man is either a fool or a physician." 

 Well, be your own physician, I say. If you 

 feel that you have put on flesh, and have got 

 beyond your normal weight, the calves of your 

 legs getting smaller, the waistcoat wanting a 

 reef let out, and a general feeling of disinclin- 

 ation to take long-continued or strong exercise, 

 why put on the muzzle at once, stop the supplies 

 in time, and put on the steam instead ; take as 

 much exercise as you can get, no matter of 

 what sort. The less you feel inclined for take 

 the more. Any young sportsman, just entering 

 on his career, who reads this and follows it, 

 who begins to get on in years and increase in 

 weight, will thank me when he gets old ; and 

 above all, I earnestly recommend to all young 

 sportsmen, to enable them really to enjoy the 

 sports of the field, to be abstemious, and to such 

 a one I can wish nothing worse than to have a 

 better mount than "Black Diamond." 



