Old Bex. 125 



Now all the poaching that Ben did was in 

 the day-time, and openly, at least, tolerably 

 openly, for except when he was on one of what 

 he called his beats, he took his gun to pieces 

 and carried inside his coat, with the end of the 

 barrel and the stock stuck in either pocket. I 

 have often seen him bring it out loaded, and 

 with the cap on the nipple — rather a dangerous 

 experiment to carry such an article, with the 

 muzzle within three inches of your ear. 



Now Ben lived only a few miles from the 

 country-seat of the nobleman whose clothes he 

 wore, whose estate was strictly preserved ; but 

 there were a few farms which were rather 

 outlying, and which they did not trouble much 

 about, and over which an old gentleman of my 

 acquaintance used to have permission to shoot, 

 though I fancy without having exclusive right 

 to the shooting ; and upon these farms there 

 were some very marshy meadows, with a brook 

 running through the middle of them, in hard 

 weather a certain find for a wild duck or two, as 

 there was a pond belonging to the same estate 

 within four miles, where they w^ere bred and 

 preserved ; and the meadows were a capital 

 place for snipe, for I have had twenty shots of 



