this leg-hit must be judged to bound on the leg-side, at such a distance from you and so much out of the wicket, as to clear your person should you miss the hit. The difficulty in making the hit properly, is to time it perfectly. To make the proper and perfect hit, therefore, you must strike the ball (whilst on the full extent of the lounge) within a foot of the bottom of the bat; better to take it too soon than too late; and so judge the timing of the hit that, bringing the bat down from the shoulders with all your force, you catch the ball about half a foot on the rise. If you are not quick enough to get at her as described, desist, desist!" or it will rise so much and advance so much, that by striking it with the middle of the blade, you do all you can to give a chance either to the long stop or the leg; item, by so hitting it you assist to keep up its rising already acquired by the bound. Of course the sooner you get at the ball, the "more square" will be the hit, the better chance you will have of keeping it down, and the greater number of runs will you obtain. In lounging forward and throwing your whole body into this hit, take care not to draw the toe over the popping crease, lest the wicket keeper indulge in a very popular triumph. The violent action of the body, in addition to the lounge, is very apt to cause this. This most brilliant hit, when well executed, and most fatal when badly executed, may be brought to wonderful perfection by the use of the Catapulta. "Once more to the breach, dear friends;" once more do

I remind you of

ANOTHER OF THOSE THINGS WHICH YOU OUGHT NOT TO DO.

You may be too anxious to obtain a run. You ought to be very anxious to make all you can, but it is dangerous to leave your ground before you are well convinced that the bowler is not watching your over anxiety-as above.

CHAPTER III.

THE CUT.

If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly.-SHAKSPEARE. Macbeth, Act i.

ELCOME, thrice welcome, thou great majestic hit! Let the antique boast of its Discobulus, Gladiator, Hercules, Paris, Venus, with a whole host of other sculptured excellencies; but which of the athletæ can vie with the attitude preparatory to this all-powerful effort? The feet how firmly grasping the earth, to give force and freedom to the pliant limb, now on the full development, for the accomplishment of this magnificent hit! Woe be to the Point if he be not "like the lightning," quick and vivid as electric spark.

I know not why I have induced myself to treat of this brilliant effort of mental and physical genius so late, except it be as a summary of all its preceding companions; and as it has been observed of reasoning, “do not fire off the loudest gun until the last." Graceful and gigantic struggle, Come, let me clutch thee!" for thou hast purpose in thy brow, and thy sinews, like the tiger's, nerved up to spring upon the prey ;-" Look at 'im arm, look at 'im leg, look at 'im shoulder, look at 'im ebery ting!"

The hit, as above-named, like many of the preceding, is a calculation of time, not requiring exactly the nicety of a musical ear; and yet, be it observed, this enchanting gift of nature is by no means an insignificant possession, even

to perfect many of the foregoing feats of strength. The forward play has much to do with well-timing the ball, and the body, relying upon the accurate judgment of the eye, will be thrown forward with the required rapidity, in order to meet the ball in time. The "half-volley off-cut" and the "halfvolley leg-hit," are both the result of well-timing the ball; and in this fact lies the very perfection of that brilliant hitting, which has distinguished many of the old, as well as the modern, "bats." And upon a just appreciation of this fact is founded the apparent contradiction, that some of the weaker men hit harder than their more muscular competitors. To make this hit to perfection, the ball must be judged to bound well to the off, rather short, so that, in its bound it would pass something under the elbow. You must throw yourself back, with a sort of back-lounge, close to the wicket; and, whilst in the act of lounging back, raise the bat well over the shoulders, and suffer the ball well to pass you ere you let fly at it.

In practising this action, it is not a bad plan to pitch one stump, having a piece of stick about half a foot in length as a bail,—and fancying the stump to be the off-stump, lounge back from the attitude of "Play," and whilst your face is turned towards the ground of the supposed bowler, try to cut this piece of stick off the stump without injuring the bat or stump.

Should you take the ball too soon, you will, in some measure, impede its progress and not have the chance of keeping it down. Be sure to turn the blade of the bat a little over, so as to direct the ball downwards; and, if well waited for, the hit will pass behind the point, should he be square, and before the "long slip" has time to reach it. Four runs is a very common result of this hit, and, on a ground large enough to do it justice, five and six runs have frequently been made.

And now, ere I bring this little treatise to a close, let me crave pardon if I have not sufficiently noticed the play, or the skill of many who deserve the highest praise for their indefatigable zeal in forwarding the interest of this game. Twenty years' experience, off and on, has brought me in contact with many of whom my pen will scarcely contain its feeble powers of praise, both as to character, claiming the highest share of respect; and as Cricketers, demanding