MR. JAMES MORRELL 199 



their fox down the village street of Yelford. 

 Just as they passed, a big yellow Tom cat 

 belonging to the clerk's wife jumped over the 

 hedge in front of the hounds. Poor pussie was 

 instantly mopped up, and Clark, coming up at 

 the time, caught sight of the cat in the middle 

 of the pack. Giving " Whoo Whoop " he 

 jumped off his horse, throwing the reins to 

 Mr. Lenthall, and went in to perform the 

 funeral rites of the supposed fox. When he 

 found the mangled remains of poor murdered 

 Thomas, he pitched the carcase over the hedge 

 in disgust, and mounting his horse took his 

 hounds home without saying a word. 



Some of the members of the hunt considered 

 that Clark was rather too keen upon blood, 

 and in other respects Mr. Morrell met with 

 some of those annoyances which are generally 

 the lot of a master of hounds. The result was 

 that in the spring of 1857 he determined to 

 give up the country. The hunting establish- 

 ment was advertised for sale, and Clark found 

 a new birth with the Duke of Beaufort. There 

 his reputation as a murderous huntsman fol- 

 lowed him. Letters signed " A Wiltshire 

 Yeoman " appeared in the sporting papers, but 

 Clark was ably defended in the correspondence 

 which followed by the Duke and Lord 

 Valentia. 



