40 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 11745 to 



dent : Mr. J. T. Villebois at that time kept a 

 jDack of harriers at Preston Candover; one 

 day they changed from their hare, which they 

 had found near Preston Wood, to a fox, which 

 they ran straight for about ten miles, and 

 killed above Amory Wood, which is between 

 Alton and Shalden ; Mr. Smith of Shalclen 

 Lodge and Mr. Villebois alone were with 

 them. On Mr. Russell being told of this, he, 

 the next time he met Mr. Villebois, expressed 

 his objection to what had taken place, and 

 some words passing between them, he said to 

 Mr. Villebois, " You had better hunt the coun- 

 try yourself." On which Mr. Villebois replied : 

 "If you really mean that, I will;" and to the 

 delight of his friends he commenced the next 

 year, with John Major as his huntsman. With- 

 out mentioning Mr. Russell's name, Nimrod 

 tells the same story in his history of the H. H., 

 which will be found in the year 1825. 



Mr. Russell used to say that he never com- 

 mitted any sins during the hunting season, as 

 he hunted six days a week and went to church 

 twice on Sunday, and so had no time to do 

 anything wrong. A fine run with his hounds, 

 from Dogmersfield to Liphook, on 1st Nov., 

 1803, is reported in the Sporting Magazine, 

 p. 52. 



