126 How I Became a Sportsmax. 



a morning before breakfast there, and if Ben 

 was with me, if I did not kill he would be sure 

 to wipe my eye. 



Well, the old gentleman only shot over these 

 farms during September or October, and Ben 

 used to act as marker, and generally kept an 

 eye over the place for him, and I suppose on 

 this account, and that no one from the Hall 

 ever went there, or troubled about either the 

 snipe or the wild duck, Ben got into the habit 

 of doing it for them ; at all events, he had been 

 doing it so long that I really believe he 

 fancied he had a right to it, and looked upon 

 it somewhat in the light of his own particular 

 shooting-ground ; and I also fancy that it must 

 have been pretty well known by his lordship, 

 and winked at, that he did go there : hence the 

 secret of the cast-off clothes, the trout, and 

 the snipe. Let it be how it will, Ben used to 

 take me there as if he had a perfect right to 

 do so without let or hindrance, and I never 

 heard anything to the contrary but what it 

 was all right. 



Ben, as I have said, was well up in all 

 shooting and fishing matters, and put me up 

 to a great many shrewd wrinkles, which I 



