I was a gentleman's footman when I was a young man," he said, "and saw life both in town and country; so I knows what things belongs." [A common phrase among persons of his class to denote their being men of the world.] "I never liked the confinement of service,
and besides the upper servants takes on so. The others puts up with it more than they would, I suppose, because they hopes to be butlers themselves in time. The only decent people in the house I lived in last was master and missus. I won
20
l.
, and got it too, on the Colonel, when he won the Leger. Master was a bit of a turf gentleman, and so we all dabbled—like master like man, you know, sir. I think that was in
1828
, but I'm not certain. We came to London not long after Doncaster" [he meant Doncaster races], "something about a lawsuit, and that winter I left service and bought the goodwill of a coffee-shop for
25
l.
It didn't answer. I wasn't up to the coffee-making, I think; there's a deal of things belongs to all things; so I got out of it, and after that I was in service again, and then I was a boots at an inn. But I couldn't settle to nothing long; I'm of a free spirit, you see. I was hard up at last, and I popped my watch for a sovereign, because a friend of mine—we sometimes drank together of a night—said he could put me in the pigeon and chicken line; that was what he called it, but it meant game. This just suited me, for I'd been out with the poachers when I was a lad, and indeed when I was in service, out of a night on the sly; so I knew they got stiffish prices. My friend got me the pigeons. I believe he cheated me, but he's gone to glory. The next season game was made legal eating. Before that I cleared from
25
s.
to
40
s.
a week by selling my 'pigeons.' I carried real pigeons as well, which I said was my own rearing at Gravesend. I sold my game pigeons—there was all sorts of names for them —in the City, and sometimes in
the Strand
, or Charing-cross, or Covent-garden. I sold to shopkeepers. Oft enough I've been offered so much tea for a hare. I sometimes had a hare in each pocket, but they was very awkward carriage; if
one
was sold, the other sagged so. I very seldom sold them, at that time, at less than
3
s.
6
d.
, often
4
s.
6
d.
, and sometimes
5
s.
or more. I once sold a thumping old jackhare to a draper for
6
s.
; it was Christmas time, and he thought it was a beauty. I went into the country after that, among my friends, and had a deal of ups and downs in different parts. I was a navvy part of the time, till
five
or
six
year back I came to London again, and got into my old trade; but it's quite a different thing now. I hawks grouse, and every thing, quite open. Leadenhall and Newgate is my markets.
Six
of
one
and half-a-dozen of t'other. When there's a great arrival of game, after a game battle" (he would so call a
battue
) "and it's-warm weather, that's my time of day, for then I can buy cheap. A muggy day, when it's close and warm, is best of all. I have a tidy bit of connection now in game, and don't touch poultry when I can get game. Grouse is the
first
thing I get to sell. They are legal eating on the
12th of August
, but as there's hundreds of braces sold in London that day, and as they're shot in Scotland and Yorkshire, and other places where there's moors, in course
they're killed before it's legal. It's not often I can get them early in the season; not the
first
week, but I have had
three
brace
two
days before they were legal, and sold them at
5
s.
a brace; they cost me
3
s.
3
d.
, but I was told I was favoured. I got them of a dealer, but that's a secret. I sold a few young partridges with grouse this year at
1
s.
6
d.
and
1
s.
9
d.
a piece, allowing
2
d.
or
3
d.
if a brace was taken. They weren't legal eating till the
1st of September
, but they was shot by grouse shooters, and when I hawked them I called them quails. Lord, sir, gentlefolks—and I serve a good many, leastways their cooks, and now and then themselves—
they
don't make a fuss about Game Laws; they've too much sense. I've bought grouse quite fresh and fine when there's been a lot, and bad keeping weather, at
1
s.
and
15
d.
each. I've sold them sometimes at
1
s.
6
d.
and
2
s.
each, and
2
s.
6
d.
the big ones, but only twice or thrice. If you ask very low at
first
, people won't buy, only a few good judges, 'cause they think something must be amiss. I once bought a dozen good hares, on a Saturday afternoon, for
10
s.
6
d.
It was jolly hot, and I could hardly sell them. I got
1
s.
6
d.
a piece for
three
of them;
2
s.
for the finest
one
;
1
s.
3
d.
for
five
, no, for
four
;
1
s.
10
d.
for
two
; and I had a deal of trouble to get a landlord to take the last
two
for
1
s.
6
d.
, to wipe off a bit of a drink score. I didn't do so bad as it was, but if it hadn't been Saturday, I should have made a good thing of 'em. It's very hard work carrying a dozen hares; and every
one
of that lot—except
two
, and
they
was fine leverets—was as cheap as butcher's meat at half-a-crown a piece. I've done middling in partridges this year. I've bought them, but mixed things they was, as low as from
10
d.
to
16
d.
a brace, and have made a profit, big or little as happened, on every
one
. People that's regular customers I always charge
6
d.
profit in
2
s.
6
d.
to, and that's far cheaper than they can get served other ways. It's chiefly the game battles that does so much to cheapen partridges or peasants" (so he always called pheasants); "and it's only then I meddles with peasants. They're sold handier than the other birds at the shops, I think. They're legal eating on the
1st of October
. Such nonsense! why isn't mutton made legal eating, only just at times, as well? In very hard weather I've done well on wild ducks. They come over here when the weather's a clipper, for you see cold weather suits some birds and kills others. It aint hard weather that's driven them here; the frost has drawed them here, because it's only then they're cheap. I've bought beauties at
1
s.
a piece, and
one
day I cleared
10
s.
6
d.
out of
twelve
brace of them. I've often cleared
6
s.
and
7
s.
—at least as often as there's been a chance. I knew a man that did uncommon well on them; and he once told a parson, or a journeyman parson, I don't know what he was, that if ever
he
prayed it was for a hard winter and lots of wild ducks. I've done a little sometimes in plover, and woodcock, and
snipe, but not so much. I never plays no tricks with
my
birds. I trims them up to look well, certainly. If they won't keep, and won't sell, I sticks them into a landlord I knows, as likes them high, for a quartern or a pot, or anything. It's often impossible to keep them. If they're hard hit it's soon up with them. A sportsman, if he has a good dog—but you'll know that if you've ever been a shooting, sir—may get close upon a covey of young partridges before he springs them, and then give them his
one
,
two
, with both barrels, and they're riddled to bits. I may make
18
s.
a week all the year round, because I have a connection. I'm very much respected, I thinks, on my round, for I deal fair; that there, sir, breeds respect, you know. When I can't get game (birds) I can sometimes, indeed often, get hares, and mostly rabbits. I've hawked venson, but did no good— though I cried it at
4
d.
the lb. My best weeks is worth
30
s.
to
35
s.
, my worst is
6
s.
to
10
s.
I'm a good deal in the country, working it. I'm forced to sell fish sometimes. Geese I sometimes join a mate in selling. I don't mix much with the costermongers; in coorse I knows some. I live middling. Do I ever eat my own game if it's high? No, sir, never. I couldn't stand such cag-mag—my stomach couldn't—though I've been a gentleman's servant. Such stuff don't suit nobody but rich people, whose stomach's diseased by over-feeding, and that's been brought up to it, like. I've only myself to keep now. I've had a wife or
two
, but we parted" (this was said gravely enough); "there was nothing to hinder us. I see them sometimes and treat them.
