204 Life and Times of " The Di'itid." 



wicket-keeper of all time. On these halcyon 

 days — and I am sure there are no such 

 summer days now — " The Druid" would for 

 once forget to produce the never-failing 

 pencil, or only use it to keep our scoring 

 card religiously "up to date," and would 

 watch every ball bowled with all the zest and 

 enjoyment felt by either of his boys. 



About the time that the memorable battle 

 between Sayers and Heenan had set all 

 England talking on the subject of pugilism, 

 he went to a few exhibitions of boxing ; but 

 it was not a form of sport to which he took 

 kindly, and I do not think that he ever 

 attended a prize fight in his life. The 

 advent of " Deerfoot," on the other hand, 

 awoke in him a very strong interest in pedes- 

 trianism, and he was constantly to be seen 

 at Hackney Wick and the West London 

 grounds, both of which have long since been 

 swallowed up by bricks and mortar. He was 

 an enthusiastic believer in the Indian's 

 powers, and witnessed nearly all his races 

 against "Young England," the "Crow- 

 catcher," the " Gateshead Clipper," the 

 " Norwich Milk Boy," "Jenny Jones," the 



