A SUCCESSFUL SEASON. 1 75 



Lord Rookwood continues : — 



" 1881-2. The CLih-huntino- of this autumn, 1881, 

 began on September i 2th, again at Latton Park, when we 

 had a good morning's work with lots of cubs, and the entry 

 was most satisfactory. We were stopped one day, on 

 October 14th, by a frightful gale, which made riding in 

 covert dangerous, as branches were falling in all directions. 

 The pack were, by careful drafts, gradually improving in 

 their work, and the year was to be noted as a really sport- 

 ing one, for we had any number of good runs. I especially 

 remember a run on December 9th, which I entered at the 

 time in my journal as, ' Y*" run of Y" season,' when we met 

 at Blue Gates. We found in Tilty a real good one, who went 

 away for Thaxted, running within two fields of the town, 

 then through Thaxted Lodge Plantations, nearly to Lubber- 

 hedges, when he swung round towards Stebbing, but 

 changed his mind, and went back through the Lower 

 Thaxted Plantations to Horcham Hall, and back by Ave- 

 sey, Tilty and the Maze, and was pulled down by the puppy 

 Chanticleer after one hour and fift\' minutes, without a 

 check, in the open close to PLaston Park. Not a hound was 

 away at the finish, and no second horse was possible ; the 

 hunt servants and everyone declared it was the best run they 

 had ever ridden to ; Hervey P"oster, Lockwood, Winder 



