Old Ben. 123 



" Old Ben," then, whom I will for the future 

 call Ben only, was, when I first got acquainted 

 with him, about forty years of age ; but he 

 had a lean, hungry, half-starved look about 

 him, with high cheek-bones and lanthorn jaws, 

 which made him look much older than he 

 really was, and for many years there was very 

 little apparent change in him. He was in the 

 habit of coming to my father's to ferret the 

 rats about the place, and that was how I 

 became acquainted w^ith him and his son. 

 The rat-catching, in which I took great interest, 

 led on to ferreting rabbits, and in going out 

 after snipe, moorhens, etc., and also getting 

 him to accompany me in my fishing, at which 

 he was an adept. 



In the winter-time Ben w^as always about with 

 a long single-barrelled gun under his arm when 

 he was on his beat, nearly always a large red 

 comforter round his neck, a generally cold, 

 shivery sort of look, particularly about the 

 nose. Ben was one of the best shots, in the 

 poking style, I ever saw, particularly at snipe. 

 I don't think he ever missed. He used to say 

 to me, " I can't think how you can miss them ; 

 they are as easy to kill as putting on an old 



