132 REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 



courtesy in throwing off so "wide of the meet," 

 and disappointing them of their day's sport. 

 On coming to a turn of the road near Inward- 

 leigh Moor, there they spied Russell, cool as a 

 cucumber, sitting at his ease on the back of 

 Billv, his famous pony-hunter, and quietly 

 watching the hounds. 



"What on earth are you about?" inquired 

 Harris, in a somewhat hasty and impatient tone. 



" Very sorry to have kept you w^aiting, 

 Arthur," responded Russell, good-humouredly, 

 " but the truth is, I fed rather late last night, 

 and the hounds being scarcely fit to trim a 

 good fox at once, I thought I'd find a hare 

 first, and let them clear their pipes a bit before 

 they tackled the stouter animal. They'll come to 

 the road in a minute, and I'll stop them then." 



So he did. The hounds were then trotted 

 off to a small spinney at the back of Five Oaks, 

 where they found at once ; and away they went, 

 straight as a bee-line, over the Inwardleigh 

 Moor, carrying a fine head over Bowerland 

 Moor towards Bridestowe, and on to Sourton 

 and Prewley Moor ; killing him between that 

 and Lidford, on Dartmoor. Time, one hour and 

 forty-five minutes. 



It is superfluous to add that, under the influ- 

 ence of that glorious run, the cloud of the morn- 

 ing vanished like a summer mist, and never more 

 darkened a day of that brief but happy alliance. 



