Warwick Woodlands: Things as they Were There Twenty Years AgoHerbert, Henry William
General
Warwick Woodlands: Things as they Were There Twenty Years Ago
Herbert, Henry William
New York (State) -- Description and travel; Shooting
A character was Tim--and now I think of it, worthy of brief description.
Born, I believe--bred, certainly, in a hunting stable, far more of his
life passed in the saddle than elsewhere, it was not a little
characteristic of my friend Harry to have selected this piece of
Yorkshire oddity as his especial body servant; but if the choice were
queer, it was at least successful, for an honester, more faithful,
hard-working, and withal, better hearted, and more humorous varlet never
drew curry-comb over horse-hide, or clothes-brush over broad-cloth.
His visage was, as I have said already, bluff and good-natured, with a
pair of hazel eyes, of the smallest--but, at the same time, of the very
merriest--twinkling from under the thick black eyebrows, which were the
only hairs suffered to grace his clean-shaved countenance. An
indescribable pug nose, and a good clean cut mouth, with a continual
dimple at the left corner, made up his phiz. For the rest, four feet ten
inches did Tim stand in his stockings, about two-ten of which were
monopolized by his back, the shoulders of which would have done honor to
a six foot pugilist,--his legs, though short and bowed a little outward,
by continual horse exercise, were right tough serviceable members, and I
have seen them bearing their owner on through mud and mire, when
straighter, longer, and more fair proportioned limbs were at an awful
discount.
Depositing his hat then on the floor, smoothing his hair, and hitching
up his smalls, and striving most laboriously not to grin till he should
have cause, stood Tim, like "Giafar awaiting his master's award!"
"Tim!" said Harry Archer.
"Sur!" said Tim.
"Tim! Mr. Forester and I are talking of going up to-morrow--what do you
say to it?"
"Oop yonner?" queried Tim, in the most extraordinary West-Riding
Yorkshire, indicating the direction, by pointing his right thumb over
his left shoulder--"Weel, Ay'se nought to say aboot it--not Ay!"
"Soh! the cattle are all right, and the wagon in good trim, and the dogs
in exercise, are they?"
"Ay'se warrant um!"
"Well, then, have all ready for a start at six to-morrow,--put Mr.
Forester's Manton alongside my Joe Spurling in the top tray of the case,
my single gun and my double rifle in the lower, and see the magazine
well filled--the Diamond gunpowder, you know, from Mr. Brough's. You'll
put up what Mr. Forester will want, for a week, you know--he does not
know the country yet, Tim;--and, hark you, what wine have I at Tom
Draw's?"
"No but a case of claret."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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