THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 71 



rector, who was also the incumbent of South 

 Molton, to undertake the weekly duty of that 

 parish besides that of his own. With this re- 

 quest he readily complied ; and settling at South 

 Molton, that being a convenient centre for his 

 double work, he fulfilled the duties of both 

 parishes for a considerable period ; and this, 

 too, with no little amount of additional labour, 

 but without additional pay. 



Nevertheless, had the sphere of his duty 

 been quadrupled, the parochial work alone 

 would still have been utterly insufficient to 

 supply a man of Russell's powers with full 

 occupation of body and mind. The early 

 habits of his life, his wondrous energy, his 

 muscular frame, the strength and endurance of 

 which no fatigue seemed capable of subduing ; 

 and, above all, that innate fire — his love, or, 

 to call it by its right name, his passion for 

 the chase — combined irresistibly to suggest a 

 stronger exercise than any he could find from 

 the due fulfilment of parochial labour, however 

 great that might be. So to hounds he turned — 

 the summit to him of earthly enjoyment and 

 manly recreation. 



To hunt the otter, of all beasts of venerie 

 the least known and most inscrutable, was his 

 first eft'ort ; and, for that purpose, a scratch lot 

 of five or six couple of hounds were soon 

 gathered from his neighbouring friends. 



