to meet the next market day at
Smithfield.

They went at the time appointed, and having drank a morning glass,
stepped into the market and stayed some time. Their brother sportsman
being very busy, he made excuse to Doyle and his companion, telling them
there was nothing to be done in their way till the evening, desiring
them to be patient. They remained in and about Smithfield till then, and
market being entirely over, their friend came up to the place appointed,
and showed them a man on horseback to whom he had just paid fifty
pounds. Doyle and his companion immediately called for their horses,
took leave of their friend, and kept in sight of the countryman until he
was out of town. And when he was got near the Adam and Eve, at
Kensington, they came up to him, and made a ceremony, as became men of
their profession. He was very unwilling to part from his money, making
an attempt to ride away, but they soon overtook him, and after some
dispute took every penny that he received in Smithfield, and for his
residing gave him back only a crown to bear his charges home. In his
memoirs Doyle makes this observation, that they always robbed between
sun and sun, so that the persons robbed might make the county pay them
that money back if they thought fit to sue them for it.[100] Next
morning Doyle and his companion came to the place appointed, and not
meeting with their brother sportsman sent for him, where they drank
together, and talked as usual about business, paying him poundage out of
what money they had collected on his information (for they usually dealt
with him as a custom-house officer does by an informer); after which
they parted for that time, and did not meet for a month after.

Afterwards they went up and down Hertfordshire, but got scarce money
enough to bear their expenses; but where there were small gettings they
lived the more frugally, for Doyle observed that if the country did not
bear their expenses wherever he travelled, he thought it very hard, and
that if he failed of gaming one day, he commonly got as much the next as
he could well destroy.

Hitherto we have kept very close to those memoirs which Mr. Doyle left
behind him, which I did with this view, that my readers might have some
idea of what these people think of themselves. I shall now bring you to
the conclusion of his story, by informing you that finding himself beset
at the several lodgings which he kept by way of precaution, he for some
days be