University of Virginia Library

OF THE EXPERIENCE OF A GAME HAWKER.

The man who gave me the following informa-
tion was strong and robust, and had a weather-
beaten look. He seemed about fifty. He wore
when I saw him a large velveteen jacket, a cloth
waistcoat which had been once green, and brown
corduroy trousers. No part of his attire, though
it seemed old, was patched, his shirt being clean
and white. He evidently aimed at the game-
keeper style of dress. He affected some humour,
and was dogged in his opinions:

"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 ser-
vice, 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 mis-
sus. I won 20l., 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 25l. 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 25s. to 40s. 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 of-
fered so much tea for a hare. I sometimes had
a hare in each pocket, but they was very awk-
ward carriage; if one was sold, the other sagged
so. I very seldom sold them, at that time, at
less than 3s. 6d., often 4s. 6d., and sometimes
5s. or more. I once sold a thumping old jack-
hare to a draper for 6s.; 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

[Description: 915EAF. Page 125.]

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 5s. a brace; they cost me 3s. 3d., but I was
told I was favoured. I got them of a dealer,
but that's a secret. I sold a few young par-
tridges with grouse this year at 1s. 6d. and
1s. 9d. a piece, allowing 2d. or 3d. 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 1s. and 15d. each. I've sold them
sometimes at 1s. 6d. and 2s. each, and 2s. 6d. 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 10s. 6d. It
was jolly hot, and I could hardly sell them.
I got 1s. 6d. a piece for three of them; 2s. for
the finest one; 1s. 3d. for five, no, for four; 1s. 10d. for two; and I had a deal of trouble to
get a landlord to take the last two for 1s. 6d., to wipe off a bit of a drink score. I didn't
do so bad as it was, but if it hadn't been Sa-
turday, 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 10d. to 16d. a brace, and have made
a profit, big or little as happened, on every one.
People that's regular customers I always charge
6d. profit in 2s. 6d. 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 1s. a piece, and
one day I cleared 10s. 6d. out of twelve brace of
them. I've often cleared 6s. and 7s. — 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 18s. 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 some-
times, indeed often, get hares, and mostly rab-
bits. I've hawked venson, but did no good —
though I cried it at 4d. the lb. My best weeks
is worth 30s. to 35s., my worst is 6s. to 10s. 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."

The quantity of game annually sold in the
London streets is as follows: —

         

Grouse	5,000
Partridges	20,000
Pheasants	12,000
Snipes	5,000
Hares	20,000