The Pothunters

The Pothunters

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Title: The Pothunters
Author: P. G. Wodehouse
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THE POTHUNTERS

by P. G. Wodehouse
1902

[Dedication] TO JOAN, EFFIE AND ERNESTINE BOWES-LYON

Contents
1 Patient Perseverance Produces Pugilistic Prodigies
2 Thieves Break in and Steal
3 An Unimportant By-product
4 Certain Revelations
5 Concerning the Mutual Friend
6 A Literary Banquet
7 Barrett Explores
8 Barrett Ceases to Explore
9 Enter the Sleuth-hound
10 Mr Thompson Investigates
11 The Sports
12 An Interesting Interview
13 Sir Alfred Scores
14 The Long Run
15 Mr Roberts Explains
16 The Disappearance of J. Thomson

17 'We'll Proceed to Search for Thomson if He Be Above the Ground'
18 In Which the Affairs of Various Persons Are Wound Up

[1]
PATIENT PERSEVERANCE PRODUCES PUGILISTIC PRODIGIES
'Where have I seen that face before?' said a voice. Tony Graham looked
up from his bag.
'Hullo, Allen,' he said, 'what the dickens are you up here for?'
'I was rather thinking of doing a little boxing. If you've no objection, of
course.'
'But you ought to be on a bed of sickness, and that sort of thing. I heard
you'd crocked yourself.'
'So I did. Nothing much, though. Trod on myself during a game of fives,
and twisted my ankle a bit.'
'In for the middles, of course?'
'Yes.'
'So am I.'
'Yes, so I saw in the Sportsman. It says you weigh eleven-three.'
'Bit more, really, I believe. Shan't be able to have any lunch, or I shall
have to go in for the heavies. What are you?'
'Just eleven. Well, let's hope we meet in the final.'
'Rather,' said Tony.
It was at Aldershot--to be more exact, in the dressing-room of the
Queen's Avenue Gymnasium at Aldershot--that the conversation took
place. From east and west, and north and south, from Dan even unto
Beersheba, the representatives of the public schools had assembled to
box, fence, and perform gymnastic prodigies for fame and silver
medals. The room was full of all sorts and sizes of them, heavy-weights
looking ponderous and muscular, feather-weights diminutive but wiry,
light-weights, middle-weights, fencers, and gymnasts in scores, some
wearing the unmistakable air of the veteran, for whom Aldershot has no
mysteries, others nervous, and wishing themselves back again at
school.
Tony Graham had chosen a corner near the door. This was his first
appearance at Aldershot. St Austin's was his School, and he was by far
the best middle-weight there. But his doubts as to his ability to hold his
own against all-comers were extreme, nor were they lessened by the

knowledge that his cousin, Allen Thomson, was to be one of his
opponents. Indeed, if he had not been a man of mettle, he might well
have thought that with Allen's advent his chances were at an end.
Allen was at Rugby. He was the son of a baronet who owned many
acres in Wiltshire, and held fixed opinions on the subject of the whole
duty of man, who, he held, should be before anything else a sportsman.
Both the Thomsons--Allen's brother Jim was at St Austin's in the same
House as Tony--were good at most forms of sport. Jim, however, had
never taken to the art of boxing very kindly, but, by way of
compensation, Allen had skill enough for two. He was a splendid boxer,
quick, neat, scientific. He had been up to Aldershot three times, once as
a feather-weight and twice as a light-weight, and each time he had
returned