THE MASTER IN THE MUD. 211 



The writer of the above account distinguished himself, 

 a month later, by being first in at the death, at Long Barns,, 

 of a fox which had been run very fast for forty minutes 

 from Mr. Caton's barn at Aythorpe Roding, and taking the 

 fo.x from the hounds, in the absence of any of the hunt 

 servants. 



March 3rd was a very good day in the Friday 

 country. Bailey writes : — 



" Met at Thaxted, and had one of the best runs ever 

 seen. Found in Brockleys, and a nice scent ; he came 

 straight through W'est W^ood, over the road, and set his 

 head for the finest line of country ever could be straight for 

 Thaxted Lodge Wood, over the big fields they fairly raced, 

 and came as if for Lubber Hedges, bearing away to the 

 right, leaving Avesey on his right. Mr. Green's horse 

 fell down and pitched him head first into a deep mud 

 hole, and when he got up he was such a sight, his eyes, 

 mouth, and ears were full of mud, I thought he would 

 have choked. He had to pull the mud out of his mouth. 

 Hounds ran on through Dow Wood, through one corner 

 of Bigod's Wood straight down to Dunmow, through 

 Newton Hall, to the High Woods, across the Park by 

 the Leys to the Maze, where we lost. I think we must 

 have changed foxes, as no one fox could have stood it ; 



