196 THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



he kept them out in the yard, and let their 

 unhappy quarry go in and out of the lodging 

 house as he liked ; and they got so frightened 

 that at the first tinkle of the bell, whose rope 

 was at his bed head, they would be quiet in an 

 instant. 



Mr. Morrell took Tubney House as a hunt- 

 ing residence, and built kennels there. For 

 the ten years his mastership lasted he dis- 

 pensed at Tubney the most open-handed 

 hospitality. 



Mr. Morrell not only understood the science 

 of hunting, but though a very heavy man went 

 well himself. With a good start and when 

 mounted on " Memnon," " England's Glory," 

 " Sir Warwick," " Marlborough," or " Wild 

 Rose," he required a lot of beating. In the 

 celebrated run from Appleton Common to 

 Wytham, neither his huntsman Clark, nor any 

 of the crack featherweights out could catch 

 him. He was once steward of an Oxfordshire 

 steeplechase meeting ; there was a big water- 

 jump to which the well-known "Jim Mason" 

 rather demurred, whereupon Mr. Morrell 

 jumped it clean on his horse " Little Wonder." 

 In the race which followed, only two contrived 

 to get clear over. 



In John Jones's time they had an exception- 

 ally fast thing from Bablock Hythe to Abing- 

 don Town End seven miles straight. 



