Hunting the Wild Stag. 8 7 



to his destruction, yet to considerable inconvenience, 

 as I found to my cost when taking a line of my own, 

 which led me into one of the bogs, which are not 

 unfrequently met with by the stranger in the land 

 when following his own devices. Going at full 

 speed on the clever little mare that had been fur- 

 nished by Mr. King, I suddenly found my steed 

 floundering in the black bog land, extricating her- 

 self from one only to fall into another of these traps 

 for strangers, but quickly dismounting, the mare, 

 lightened of her burthen, was on her legs, and we 

 were off again. 



But, to return to the business of this particular 

 day. We found ourselves, after a beautiful ride of 

 eighteen miles at the meet, where a large "field" 

 was assembled, many being well-mounted, others in 

 carriages, and not a few on foot. 



I have long had a desire to become acquainted 

 with the Rev. John Russell, but thinking this cele- 

 brated sportsman must have, during his long career, 

 been awfully bored by those desirous of narrating 

 facts concerning his career, I abstained on a former 

 occasion from making use of an introduction to him. 

 Having had the good fortune to accompany Mr. S. 

 H. Warren to cover, who fills the post of secretary to 

 the Devon and Somerset Staghounds in a manner 

 that causes him to be a most popular man with all 

 classes, I availed myself of his kindness, and was 

 introduced to this venerable patriarch of the chase 

 — a man in whose society princes and princesses 

 delight ; who is an example to his profession, beloved 

 by his friends and neighbours, and the admiration 

 of all who are judges of geniality and tenderhearted- 



