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05 - Studies in the Art of Rat-Catching by Henry C. Barkley · Studies in the Art of Rat-Catching

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Speaker 1: Chapter four of Studies in the Art of Rat Catching
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Speaker 1: by H. C. Barkley. This LibriVox recording is in the
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Speaker 1: public domain recording by Clive Catterall. Studies in the Art
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Speaker 1: of Rat Catching by H. C. Barkley, Chapter four. What
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Speaker 1: do you say, boys? Shall we drop this and have
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Speaker 1: a day's outdoor practice? To tell the truth. I don't
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Speaker 1: think much of book learning, especially if the book is
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Speaker 1: written by myself, but I do believe in practice. Come along.
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Speaker 1: It is the middle of October, just the nicest time
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Speaker 1: of year, and the very best for rating for the
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Speaker 1: vermin are yet out in the hedges, fine and strong
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Speaker 1: from feeding in the corn, and with few young ones about.
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Speaker 1: Come Jack, we'll get the ferrets first, and off I
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Speaker 1: go with the boy to the hutch. While the dogs
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Speaker 1: in the kennel, having heard our steps and perfectly understand
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Speaker 1: what is up, bark and yap at the door, jump
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Speaker 1: over each other, tumble and topple about like mad fiends.
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Speaker 1: Before I get to the box, I hear the ferrets
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Speaker 1: jumping up at the sides, and when I open the lid,
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Speaker 1: half a dozen are out in a moment, and these
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Speaker 1: I bag as a reward for their activity. I throw
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Speaker 1: the others a rat to console them for being left
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Speaker 1: at home, and giving the ferrets to Jack. I strap
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Speaker 1: on a big game bag, take up my spade, and
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Speaker 1: return to let the dogs out. And off we start,
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Speaker 1: step out quick Jack. There are three miles to go
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Speaker 1: before we get to work, and it is eight a m.
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Speaker 1: And I expect a big day, Yes, chance, old lady,
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Speaker 1: A fine day, a perfect day, a day to make
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Speaker 1: both the feet and the heart light, and every human
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Speaker 1: sense rejoice. There has been just a little frost in
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Speaker 1: the night. You can see that by the way the
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Speaker 1: elms have spread a golden carpet under their branches in
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Speaker 1: the lane, and by their leaves that yet keep falling slowly,
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Speaker 1: one by one, afresh but dead still air. And by
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Speaker 1: the smell of the turnips, the fresh stubble, and the
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Speaker 1: newly turned earth behind yonder plow, the sun shines, cobwebs
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Speaker 1: are floating through the air and get twisted round one's head.
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Speaker 1: And far and near sounds such as a cart on
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Speaker 1: the high road, a sheep dog barking, a boy singing,
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Speaker 1: birds chirping, insects humming, the patter of our own feet,
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Speaker 1: and the whispering of the brook under the bridge, all
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Speaker 1: form part of a chorus heaven sent to gladden the
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Speaker 1: heart of man. I have heard tale chance, or I
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Speaker 1: have seen it in a book, or I have felt
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Speaker 1: it myself. I don't quite know which. That those who
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Speaker 1: in youth have had such a walk as this, and
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Speaker 1: have heard the music, smelt the perfumes, and seen the sights,
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Speaker 1: that is, if they were blessed with the eyes to see,
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Speaker 1: ears to hear, and hearts to take in, have never
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Speaker 1: forgotten it. The memory appears for a time to pass
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Speaker 1: away amidst the struggles of life, but it is never dead.
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Speaker 1: To the soldier in battle, to the statesman in council,
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Speaker 1: or the priest in prayers, to those in sorrow or
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Speaker 1: in joy or in sickness. There may come no one
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Speaker 1: knows from where, No one knows why, a golden memory
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Speaker 1: of such days, of such a walk. Perhaps it is
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Speaker 1: only a gleam, resting but a second upon the mind,
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Speaker 1: and perhaps leaving it saddened with the longing for days
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Speaker 1: that are passed. But yet I think making one feel
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Speaker 1: a better man, giving one courage and hope, reminding one
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Speaker 1: that hard as the battle of life may be, to
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Speaker 1: fight dark and gloomy as the days may be. Just now,
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Speaker 1: another morning may arise for us far far more bright
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Speaker 1: and glorious and joyful, one that will not be shadowed
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Speaker 1: over by a returning night. But then that is only
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Speaker 1: for the brave, the honest, the truthful, for those who
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Speaker 1: are up early and strive late, never beaten, never doubting,
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Speaker 1: always pressing forward. But come out of that wasp. Don't
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Speaker 1: you know that cows kick if you sniff at their heels, tinker,
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Speaker 1: old man, keep your spirits up, Papa, come back from
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Speaker 1: the wood, for it is preserved. Yes, Jack, I think
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Speaker 1: I'll fill my pipe again. Backy does taste good on
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Speaker 1: a day like this, But what doesn't I feel like
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Speaker 1: a ten year old and as fit as a fiddler.
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Speaker 1: Grindem give over blinking and don't look so benevolent. No chance,
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Speaker 1: old lady. I can't pull your tail, for you haven't
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Speaker 1: got one. What Jack, you say I haven't spoken for
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Speaker 1: the past mile. Well, I suppose I have been thinking,
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Speaker 1: and my thoughts have not been wholly sad ones. Open
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Speaker 1: the gates. Here we are, and you get over on
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Speaker 1: the other side of the hedge, and don't talk or
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Speaker 1: make a noise, for I can see by the work
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Speaker 1: the rats swarm, steady, dogs steady, and so we start.
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Speaker 1: The hedge is just what it should be, and if
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Speaker 1: it had been made for ratting, it could not be better.
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Speaker 1: A round bank of soft earth, a shallow ditch with grass,
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Speaker 1: little bush or bramble, and a gap every few yards.
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Speaker 1: There is a gateway in the middle, which will make
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Speaker 1: a hot corner later on when Grindham takes his stand there.
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Speaker 1: And there is a pipe under the gateway, the far
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Speaker 1: end of which I shall close. The rats have never
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Speaker 1: been disturbed, for the runs are as fresh as Oxford Street.
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Speaker 1: And I have already seen one or two rats run
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Speaker 1: into the hedge lower down from out of the wheat stubble.
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Speaker 1: And there that whistle has sent a lot more in
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Speaker 1: steady wasp. Well done. Chance you have marked one in
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Speaker 1: that hole near you, or more than one is there? Well,
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Speaker 1: the more than merrier stand dog stand? Are you ready?
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Speaker 1: Jack In goes a ferret as lively as quicksilver and
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Speaker 1: as fierce as a tiger. For a minute all is quiet.
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Speaker 1: Then a slight stir on the other side, and two
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Speaker 1: snaps of Tinker's lantern jaws, and two rats dead, three
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Speaker 1: others out of a side hole, are killed by Wasp,
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Speaker 1: and three others accounted for by Grindum, And that full
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Speaker 1: Pepper is racing and jumping down their hedge a mile
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Speaker 1: off whistle whistle, and back he comes. And at that
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Speaker 1: moment Jack picks up a ferret on the other side.
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Speaker 1: It'd having gone through the hole. Chance sniffs at it
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Speaker 1: and says it is swept clear, and I block it
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Speaker 1: up with my heel, and Jack does the same to
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Speaker 1: the bolt hole, so that if a rat does come
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Speaker 1: back later on, the dogs will have a chance. And
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Speaker 1: then on we go a few yards to the next hole,
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Speaker 1: which Chance marks. This time the ferret went in like
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Speaker 1: a lion and came out like a lamb, with blood
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Speaker 1: running up the side of its face. And whilst I
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Speaker 1: am examining the bite, a real patriarch rat bolts at
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Speaker 1: a side hole near Pepper, who strikes at it, misses
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Speaker 1: taking a proper hold and gets it too far back.
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Speaker 1: And the next moment the blood is pouring from a
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Speaker 1: bite over his eye. But the rat is dead, and
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Speaker 1: Pepper buted little the worse. I thought it was too
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Speaker 1: late in the year for young ones, but it was not.
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Speaker 1: For the next hole. We came to. The ferret got
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Speaker 1: into a nest, killed a lot of young ones, and
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Speaker 1: laid up, and as I had not a box trap
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Speaker 1: with me, I had to dig it out. This took
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Speaker 1: some time, as I lost the hole, and Jack, whilst
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Speaker 1: down grubbing with his hands, broke into a wrong one,
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Speaker 1: in which the old rat was ready for him, and
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Speaker 1: at once bit him through the end of his finger.
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Speaker 1: Jack sucked it well and did not mind, but I
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Speaker 1: did not much like the appearance of things, for in
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Speaker 1: half an hour I had had a ferret laid up,
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Speaker 1: and a dog and a boy badly bitten by rats,
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Speaker 1: and these bites are often very poisonous. Fortunately this time
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Speaker 1: Jack took no harm and was soon well. As soon
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Speaker 1: as Jack pulled his hand out of the rat's hole,
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Speaker 1: Pincher put his long nose in and all was over
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Speaker 1: in a minute. Soon after I came on, the ferret
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Speaker 1: curled up in a nest of young rats, all minus
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Speaker 1: their heads, and so that ferret, from being gorged with food,
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Speaker 1: was no more good for work and had to be
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Speaker 1: put away with the bitten one. After this we got
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Speaker 1: on much faster. The holes were close together, and even
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Speaker 1: with the greatest care lots of rats bolted and went forward,
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Speaker 1: but I would not allow the dogs to disturb fresh
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Speaker 1: ground by following them. Some went back, and Pepper and
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Speaker 1: Wasp had a good time for I let them follow
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Speaker 1: and work them alone, having stopped all back holes after
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Speaker 1: ferreting them. Now and then Jack and I had to
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Speaker 1: go back as there was an old pollard tree covered
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Speaker 1: with ivy, and many of the rats got up that,
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Speaker 1: and Pincher had to be lifted up into the crown
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Speaker 1: to displace them. And then when they jumped down, three
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Speaker 1: or four at a time, there was a grand scrimmage.
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Speaker 1: When we had got twenty yards or so from the gateway,
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Speaker 1: grind and went forward and stood there and killed a
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Speaker 1: dozen rats that tried to pass, and a lot more
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Speaker 1: went into the pipe under the roadway. These we left alone.
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Speaker 1: Only after we had passed we stopped up the open
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Speaker 1: end and opened the shut one, so that in future
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Speaker 1: rats going back might wait quietly in the arch till
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Speaker 1: we were ready for them. By the time we had
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Speaker 1: got as far as the gate it was just noon,
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Speaker 1: so we called the dogs back to a tree we
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Speaker 1: had passed, and then Jack and I sat down and
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Speaker 1: paid attention to the game. Bag, which was well provided
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Speaker 1: with cold meat and bread and cheese and a bottle
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Speaker 1: of beer. I am not a good hand at picnics,
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Speaker 1: and never was. I mean those big gatherings with ladies, lobster, salad,
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Speaker 1: hot dishes, plates, knives, spoons, champagne, et cetera. I find
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Speaker 1: the round world was created a little too low down
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Speaker 1: to sit upon with comfort. My knees don't make a
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Speaker 1: good table. Flies get into my beer and hopping things
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Speaker 1: into my plate. I have to get up and hand
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Speaker 1: eatables about things bite me and more creep about me,
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Speaker 1: and it does not look well to scratch. The hostess
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Speaker 1: looks anxious about her glass and plate. Someone has forgotten
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Speaker 1: the salt, and some one else the corkscrew. The host
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Speaker 1: be he ever so sad, makes fun and made fun
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Speaker 1: is magnified misery to me. No, I don't like picnics.
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Speaker 1: I would rather be at home and feed upon a
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Speaker 1: table and yet a snack at noonday after hard work.
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Speaker 1: Sitting under a tree with your hands as plates, with
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Speaker 1: a good shut knife, a silent companion and the dogs
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Speaker 1: all round you is pleasant. Double glosster then equals stilton
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Speaker 1: and bottled beer, nectar and then the pipe in quiet,
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Speaker 1: while Jack takes the dogs after they have finished the scraps,
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Speaker 1: to the pond to drink. Talk of havanners, well, talk
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Speaker 1: of them, But give me that pipe. As I loll
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Speaker 1: half asleep, resting against the tree, my legs spread out
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Speaker 1: and my hat tipped over my nose, I half close
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Speaker 1: my eyes and go nearly to sleep, but keep pulling
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Speaker 1: at the pipe, and half unconsciously hear the leaves whispering above,
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Speaker 1: the insects humming, the stubble rustling, the trembling of a
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Speaker 1: threshing machine, and the rush of a train in the
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Speaker 1: far distance. Jack returns from the pond, throws himself on
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Speaker 1: the ground on his face, kicks his legs in the air,
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Speaker 1: and whistles softly with a gentle grindum blinking beside him,
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Speaker 1: Chance and Tinker lie out full length on their sides
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Speaker 1: and go to sleep. Wasp stretches on the ground with
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Speaker 1: her legs out behind her, and drags herself about with
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Speaker 1: her front feet. Pepper sits down, scratches his ear, and
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Speaker 1: then dashes at a passing bumblebee. And all becomes a
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Speaker 1: pleasant jumble of sights and sound. But with a start
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Speaker 1: I recover myself drop my pipe topple my hat off
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Speaker 1: and lose my temper for that everlastingly restless, volatile and
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Speaker 1: good for nothing ramshackly beast. Pepper has been and leak
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Speaker 1: to me all up the side of the face, the dream,
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Speaker 1: the quiet, the rest is all broken. So jumping up,
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Speaker 1: I tip my pipe out at the heel of my boot,
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Speaker 1: I give a stretch, grasp the spade, and off we
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Speaker 1: go to finish our job. For three hours we work
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Speaker 1: our way on, and a line of dead rats on
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Speaker 1: the headland marks our progress till at last we reach
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Speaker 1: the bottom of the field and our bank is done.
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Speaker 1: Pepper has got three more bites. Another ferret is done
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Speaker 1: for by a nip on the nose, and Jack has
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Speaker 1: torn his trousers and is very dirty. But there is
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Speaker 1: yet the drain pipe under the gate to attend to,
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Speaker 1: and it is getting on in the day. I cut
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Speaker 1: three or four long sticks and tie them tightly together,
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Speaker 1: and then to the end of this fasten a good
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Speaker 1: hard bunch of grass, and back we go to the drain.
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Speaker 1: I go to one end with grindum and pincher, whilst
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Speaker 1: Jack takes the sticks Pepper and wasp to the other end.
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Speaker 1: And gently and slow shoves the sticks through. Two venturesome
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Speaker 1: rats bolt at my end and killed. When the sticks appear,
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Speaker 1: I grasp them and gradually draw the wisps of grass
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Speaker 1: into the drain. It fits tight and takes some pulling,
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Speaker 1: but it comes steadily along, wiping all before it. Faster
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Speaker 1: and faster, the rats bolt and are killed, and even
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Speaker 1: old Chance, who begin by watching us, gets excited and
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Speaker 1: joins the sport. Pepper and Wasp dash in for a
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Speaker 1: last worry, which is over in a few minutes, when
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Speaker 1: twenty four rats are cast by Jack up on to
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Speaker 1: the bank. Well done, dogs, well done, good dogs. Woo hoo, whoop,
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Speaker 1: good dogs. That's the way my boys. Woo hoo, whoo hoop.
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Speaker 1: And the dogs roll on the ground, stretch, wipe the
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Speaker 1: dirt out of their eyes with their paws, and rub
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Speaker 1: their faces in the grass. Jack goes backwards and forwards
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Speaker 1: and collects the spoil, and we count up seventy three
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Speaker 1: real beauties, a few of which I really think should
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Speaker 1: be fourpenny beasts they are so big. Never mind seventy
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Speaker 1: three rats at tuppens each comes to twelve and tuppence.
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Speaker 1: Not such a bad day's work, And Jack, you shall
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Speaker 1: have a hot supper to night. And oh, you dogs,
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Speaker 1: you dogs, think of the supper. I will give you
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Speaker 1: bones with lots of meat on oatmeal and such soup.
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Speaker 1: Think of it, dogs, think of it. And so the
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Speaker 1: work ends, and all are happy and contented. Three miles down,
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Speaker 1: turning twisting lanes to reach home, grind em and I first,
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Speaker 1: then Jack and the rear, brought up by the long
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Speaker 1: and now a little drooping tale of tinker. All have
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Speaker 1: had enough. Even the volatile young pepper trots slowly and
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Speaker 1: therefore looks ever so much more business like. Before we start,
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Speaker 1: the shades are falling, and as we trudge along nature's
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Speaker 1: evening vespers speak of the closing day. Workmen sitting sideways
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Speaker 1: on quiet harnessed cart horses stump past with a friendly
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Speaker 1: good night neighbor, Good night. Women with children in go
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Speaker 1: carts bustle passed in a hurry to get home and
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Speaker 1: fetch up the supper. Farm horses are drinking in the
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Speaker 1: pond or browsing on the rank grass at the side.
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Speaker 1: Sparrows are chattering in the old alderbush before going to
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Speaker 1: bed in the ivy on the church. Pigs in the
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Speaker 1: homestead are calling for their supper. The cows pass us,
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Speaker 1: coming home to be milked. Rooks fly steadily to the
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Speaker 1: old elm trees near the manor, and a robin pipes
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Speaker 1: clear and shrill on the roof of the shed. In
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Speaker 1: the cottage garden, there are partridges calling out cheap wheat
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Speaker 1: in the stubble, and peewits crying on the meadows. Cock
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Speaker 1: pheasants noisily flutter up to roost in the firs, and
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Speaker 1: the old doctor, standing at his door, makes soft music
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Speaker 1: with his violin. The parson joins us and as a
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Speaker 1: cheery word for all, especially the dogs, who are all
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Speaker 1: his personal friends. And so we jog on and reach
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Speaker 1: the village, where the woodsmoke rises straight in a blue
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Speaker 1: cloud from the cottage chimneys, and the firelight sends a
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Speaker 1: ruddy gleam across the roads. Groups of men and boys
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Speaker 1: stand about, resting, little children race and play, And oh,
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Speaker 1: such a delicious whiff of something stewing with a little
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Speaker 1: bit of onion in it comes from the door of
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Speaker 1: the village ale house. And this reminds us all that
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Speaker 1: our suppers are near, and we finish the evening's walk
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Speaker 1: quite briskly. No need to say kennel, dog's kennel. All
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Speaker 1: go in of their own accord, and in five minutes
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Speaker 1: are busy at their savory smelling hot supper. The ferrets
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Speaker 1: are fed and locked up, and then unlacing our boots
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Speaker 1: at the back door and kicking them off. The day
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Speaker 1: is done. Supper, rest and quiet, a pipe, a book,
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Speaker 1: bed and happy dreams are all before us. Now, Croaker minor,
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Speaker 1: you will go to the doctor's study before school to morrow.
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Speaker 1: You have been most inattentive and it is not the
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Speaker 1: first time I have had occasion to speak to you.
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Speaker 1: You can go now, but don't forget that this is
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Speaker 1: tub night, as you all have done on the last
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Speaker 1: four occasions. If I have further complaints on this head
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Speaker 1: from the matron, I shall take you all out for
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Speaker 1: a long day's rat catching. So I advise you all
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Speaker 1: to be very careful. Five minutes later, this master is
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Speaker 1: smoking in his room and says to another master who
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Speaker 1: is doing the same, I say, Potts, do you know
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Speaker 1: I think these new lessons on rat catching are all
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Speaker 1: very well, but I think they are beyond the capacity
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Speaker 1: of schoolboys. Why they strain my mind, and I think
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Speaker 1: they should only be taken up at the universities and
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Speaker 1: during the last term, and then the boys do so
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Speaker 1: hate them, et cetera. End of Chapter four