THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 255 



Again, a yeomanry regiment were enacting 

 a sham fight among themselves, when a Captain 

 Prettyjohn was ordered to retreat before a 

 charge of the enemy. " Retrait ! what doth that 

 mane?" inquired the captain. "Retrait mean'th 

 rinning away, I zim ; then, it shall never be 

 told up to Dodbrook Market that Cap'n Prid'gen 

 and his brave troop rinned away." 



Accordingly, as the enemy came on, bearing 

 down upon him at a rapid trot, he shouted to 

 his troop, " Charge, my brave boys, charge ; us 

 bain't voxes, and they bain't hounds ; us'll face 

 'em like men." 



The collision was awful — men, horses, and 

 accoutrements strewing the ground on every 

 side ; several troopers being more or less in- 

 jured, while one positively refused to mount 

 again, saying, " I've a brok'd my breeches 

 already, Cap'n, and I won't mount no more." 



The last time Russell heard Lord 



speak, was at a Chulmleigh meeting ; when, be- 

 ing called upon to give a toast, he did so in the 

 following words: "Gen'lemen, I wish to propose a 

 toast; and that there is this here 'Fox-hunting.'" 



But these Devonshire stories should be 

 heard to be fully appreciated ; for, seasoned and 

 served up as they were by Russell and Rad- 

 cliffe, with all the trimmings and peculiarities 

 of the purest native accent, their piquancy is 

 absolutelv lost lacking such condiments. 



