1 86 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



" March 7th, 1884. Stebbing Bran End ; went down 

 on purpose to find our friend at Lubberhedges. It 

 seemed as if hounds knew, for, no sooner were they 

 in covert, than they went all of them as straight 

 as they could go to the part where we always found 

 him. He used to lie exactly in one place ; and we 

 found him, 1 think, six times this season. He was off 

 like a shot, and the first twenty-five minutes was a 

 ripper ; to show what a good one he was he scarcely 

 touched a covert ; he would run by the side of them. 

 He broke on the north side, bearing to the left across by 

 Lindsell, close by Galley Wood, and here we had a check, 

 which 1 thought 1 should never recover ; but our second 

 whip got a view at him going close down by Avesey 

 Wood : he went out towards Thaxted, all over that open 

 country as if for West Wood ; but, turning round, he tried 

 to get once more back to his old home, but he was fairly 

 beat, and they ran him into a timber yard at Great Bardfield, 

 and killed what I consider the best fox I ever hunted 

 in Essex. Time of this run, one hour and forty-five 

 minutes, and no one wanted any more." 



Lord Rookwood continues : — 



" 1884-85. On September 8th, 1884, we began work 

 at Down Hall just after five o'clock, and we had plenty 



