COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 99 



ham most of the field arrived. The run was twelve 

 miles from point to point ; time one hour and twenty 

 minutes. The distance must have exceeded fifteen 

 miles." 



1843. — Ipswich. — Had a letter from Mr. Honey- 

 wood, Marks Hall, Colchester, saying there was a 

 deer in his woods and we might come to hunt it. 



22nd April. — We sent horses and hounds on the 

 night before to Colchester and went ourselves to the 

 Dedham ball. After the ball got into a post-chaise 

 and drove to Marks Hall, arriving at 6 a.m. Went 

 and sat in the kitchen while we sent to rouse the 

 squire. He soon appeared and gave us some break- 

 fast, then out we went. Some few farmers had got 

 notice and turned out, among others Mr. Fisher 

 Hobbs, a good sportsman, a celebrated agriculturist, 

 and famous for his breed of pigs. 



The hounds were not used to draw, and could not 

 be induced to go into the cover, and as the leaves 

 had begun to bud and there was a good deal of dew 

 I was wet to the skin. After drawing in vain for a 

 long time I was just beginning to give up hope, 

 when round a corner, down a rack way, a great fine 

 buck almost ran against me. I holloaed and got the 

 hounds away close at him. I forget how long they 

 ran, but more than an hour, and I got a view of 

 him dead-beat. He ran into a ditch. I got there as 

 soon as the hounds, got a pair of couples round his 

 horns, and kept the hounds at bay. I had just done 

 so when I heard a pack of hounds running hard. I 

 gave some one hold of the deer, cut away with the 



