CHAPTER VIII. 



Has no Regular Whip — His Three Horses — Termi- 

 nation OF THE Alliance and Contraction of 

 his Country — Mr. J. Morth Woolcombe — -The 

 Pencarrow Run — Mrs. Smith, of Porlock — The 

 Four Vixen Cubs. 



When the country is deepest, I give you my word 



'Tis a pride and a pleasure to put him along ; 

 O'er fallow and pasture he sweeps like a bird, 



And there's nothing too wide, nor too high, nor too 

 strong. 



Whyte-Melville. 



The formation of Russell's new and "indepen- 

 dent dynasty," and the grand sport he was 

 able to show with his little pack, gathered 

 though it was from all points of the compass, 

 has been roughly sketched in the foregoing 

 chapters ; and now, it will be asked, by what 

 active and competent whip w^as he supported, 

 or what other efhcient aid did he receive to 

 enable him to bring about such satisfactory 

 results ? The question is easily answered : so 

 strongly was he animated by the spirit of 

 ''self-help," so well did he know the country 

 and the habits of the wild animal he hunted, 

 that, with the exception of casual and very 

 uncertain assistance from his field, and the 



M 



