76 MEMOIR OF 



"Now," thought Russell, "here's mv oppor- 

 tunity ; Racer must at least know what an otter 

 is, so I'll buy him if I can." 



"Will you sell the hound?" inquired he, in 

 an off-hand wav. 



"Certainly," said the farmer, "with all my 

 heart ; but I must first ask Mr. Woolcombe's 

 permission to do so." 



That permission being readily granted, Rus- 

 sell paid the farmer a guinea, the price he asked 

 for him ; and, well pleased with his bargain, he 

 brought the hound back with him to South 

 Molton. It turned out, afterwards, however, 

 that Racer had only once before tasted the 

 scent of an otter ; still he loved it dearly, and 

 oft have I heard Russell declare he was the 

 best otter-hound he ever saw. 



Now Racer, as Russell soon found, com- 

 bined in himself the two-fold qualities especially 

 required in an otter-hound ; for though mute 

 before the otter was found, he was nevertheless 

 a good trail-hound, and a sound, persevering 

 marker ; the very animal needed to guide and 

 instruct the unscientific corps under Russell's 

 command. So from that dav the scratch lot 

 began to understand what manner of beast it 

 was they w^ere required to hunt. 



Their education may be thus described : As 

 soon as Racer hits upon a trail, though he does 

 not speak, his action indicates his love of it so 



