Dartmoor. 151 



shooting-coats. What with the game in the 

 pockets, and the oil-coats, what pleasant cus- 

 tomers they must have been. What would 

 the gallant old wild-fowler have given for one 

 of the best mackintoshes of the present day ? 

 I also disliked being bungled up about the 

 legs with gaiters, and would at any time 

 rather get wet than wear them ; and as for 

 thorns, I utterly despise them, though I have 

 had my legs so covered with their holes and 

 scratches, as to scarcely have a space an inch 

 broad that was not covered with them. I 

 believe I must have been the original inventor 

 of (the now almost universal and pleasant 

 garment for shooting) knickerbockers, for very 

 many years ago I used to cut off the legs 

 of my trousers about six inches below the 

 kn^e, and have them sewn round the bottom, 

 and so wear them loose. They did away with 

 thq flopping about your ankles, and wet and 

 muddy trousers, and were cool and pleasant ; 

 and another recommendation was, they did not 

 cost much. It is true that they must have made 

 one look very much like the schoolboy with 



" His short striped trousers, and now and then 

 A stripe upon his jacket too." 



