The Revs. Chard, Froude and Michell 125 



was reported to Mr. Michell, who, seeing her walk past the door 

 one day where he was busy cooking hound-food over a roaring 

 fire, asked her to stop and come in to have a chat with him. 

 At first she seemed reluctant, but was at last persuaded and a 

 chair was drawn up for her close to the beautiful warm fire. 

 The rector chatted away to her, keeping her quite happy and 

 occupied in thought until there appeared on the floor by her 

 feet a fair-sized puddle of melted butter. Her attention was 

 attracted to this curious phenomenon. 



Besides being a keen huntsman, parson Jack Michell was a 

 successful fisherman, holding very decided opinions as to the 

 proper flies to use and what he considered the necessary and 

 correct panoply for the sport. Any man who sallied forth with 

 a big book of flies was scorned ; if, added to the big book of 

 flies, there were landing-nets and suchlike items, then indeed he 

 was considered no sportsman. 



I must say I think he deprived himself of a good deal of 

 pleasure. I can spend a happy afternoon doing nothing but 

 examining and admiring my book of lovely flies, some bought 

 and some I have tied for myself. Our parson, however, was 

 never so frivolous : two flies were all he allowed himself, the 

 " Wrentail " and " Blue Upright," but he did considerable 

 execution with them. 



There were few of the pleasures of life this old sportsman did 

 not enjoy ; besides hunting and fishing, he loved his gun and 

 was considered a very good shot and could be relied upon to 

 replenish the larder when desired so to do. 



He shot with a " Joe Manton " (muzzle-loader), always 

 carrying it at half-cock, being a wise and cautious man, and he 

 never fully cocked either barrel until the birds were on the wing, 

 but seldom failed to bring down his right and left. Stories have 

 been told of a wonderful setter he had ; as soon as she winded 

 her game she dropped, and would stand indefinitely until her 

 master came up. 



A neighbour of this versatile sportsman tells me he has 

 often shot with Jack Michell and seen him kill his right and left 

 at woodcock in the woods surrounding his home, and describes 

 him as a " splendid shot " — which reminds me I should have got 

 a splendid right and left once in Wales at woodcock if I had not 

 missed them ! 



