THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 163 



with a moderate huntsman and an excellent 

 whipper-in, than with the best of huntsmen 

 without such an assistant." Again, " Xo one 

 knows better than you do how essential a good 

 adjutant is to a regiment ; believe me, a good 

 whipper-in is not less so to a pack of fox- 

 hounds." Then, with reference to the duty of 

 a whipper-in, he continues, " While the huntsman 

 is riding to his head-hounds, the whipper-in, if 

 he has genius, may show it in various ways ; 

 he may clap forward to any great earth that may 

 by chance be open ; he may sink the wind to 

 halloa, or mob a fox when the scent fails ; he 

 may keep him off his foil ; he may stop the 

 tail-hounds and get them forward, and has it 

 frequently in his power to assist the hounds 

 without doing them any hurt, provided he has 

 sense to distinguish where he is wanted most. 

 Besides, the most essential part of fox-hunting, 

 the making and keeping the pack steady, 

 depends entirely upon him, as a huntsman 

 should seldom rate, and never flog a hound." 



Notwithstanding the importance, then, attached 

 by Beckford to the business of a whip, and 

 the high qualifications which should be found 

 in a man acting in that capacity, Russell managed 

 for some time to do well without one, depend- 

 ing, as we have seen, solelv on himself and 

 the rough boy already referred to. But, though 

 rough in appearance, Sam had his wits about 



