第7部分(第1/7 页)

ied　in　the　ground　and　my　spirit　be　hurried　off　to　a　terrible；　unfamiliar　land　which　to　most　people　was　known　as　Hell。　In　those　days　it　was　mon　for　clergymen　to　talk　a　great　deal　about　Hell；　especially　to　the　young。　It　was　an　awful　hour。　I　shivered；　I　prayed；　I　wept。　I　thought　I　saw　Death　waiting　for　me　by　the　library　door。　At　last　I　went　to　sleep　to　dream　that　I　was　already　in　this　hell　and　that　the　peculiar　form　of　punishment　allotted　to　me　was　to　be　continually　eaten　alive　by　rats！

Thus　it　was　that　I　awoke　out　of　childhood　and　came　face　to　face　with　the　facts　of　destiny。

My　other　recollections　are　mostly　of　a　sporting　character。　Like　the　majority　of　country…bred　boys　I　adored　a　gun。　That　given　to　me　was　a　single…barrelled　muzzle…loader。　With　this　weapon　I　went　within　an　ace　of　putting　an　end　to　my　mortal　career；　contriving　in　some　mysterious　way　to　let　it　off　so　that　the　charge　just　grazed　my　face。　Also　I　almost　shot　my　brother　Andrew　through　a　fence　which　it　was　our　habit　to　hunt　for　rabbits；　one　of　us　on　either　side；　with　Jack；　a　dear　terrier　dog；　working　the　ditch　in　the　middle。

I　did　terrible　deeds　with　that　gun。　Once　even；　unable　to　find　any　other　game；　I　shot　a　missel…thrush　on　its　nest；　a　crime　that　has　haunted　me　ever　since。　Also　I　poached　a　cock…pheasant；　shooting　it　on　the　wing　through　a　thick　oak　tree　so　that　it　fell　into　a　pool；　whence　it　was　retrieved　with　difficulty。　Also　I　killed　a　farmer’s　best…laying　duck。　It　was　in　the　moat　of　the　Castle　Plantation；　where　I　concluded　no　respectable　tame　duck　would　be；　and　there　it　died；　with　results　almost　as　painful　to　me　as　to　the　duck；　which　was　demonstrated　to　have　about　a　dozen　eggs　inside　it。

Generally　there　was　a　horse　or　two　at　Bradenham　on　which　we　boys　could　hunt。　One　was　a　m