CHAPTER VII. 



HUNTING HARE AND WITCH. 



Seeing that it was during that long epoch with which 

 George Bell, Junr., was connected with the pack as huntsman 

 and master and huntsman combined, that hare hunting was 

 commenced as a regular institution in Bilsdale, it is timely 

 that something should be said regarding this, it may be 

 considered, retrogressive step. The Bilsdale people were 

 determined to have sport with their hounds. Foxes were 

 none too plentiful, therefore they had to resort to the older 

 sport of hare hunting on alternate days. This chapter in 

 the history of the Hunt was made a strong point in the 

 memorable trial between the Bilsdale and Hurworth Hunts 

 during Mr. Lowndes' Mastership of the former, it being urged 

 that at this period the Bilsdale hounds were harriers and not 

 foxhounds. The fact is that they were ever really fox- 

 hounds, and whilst one of the two days in the week the pack 

 was followed on foot to hunt puss, still they often ran a fox. 

 The late Mr. John Dale, of Wake Lady Green, Farndale, who 

 was a native of Bilsdale, sent me shortly before his death, 

 which occurred on July 18, 1903, some interesting remini- 

 scences of this era of the Hunt's history. 



" I notice you refer to the Bilsdale Hounds as having on one or two 

 occasions been hard set. I knew the hunt when they were very different, 

 Indeed, when they were in their days of affluence. I can well re-call the 

 time when they used to kill their 12 and 16 hares in a day then call off and 

 go and find a fox and kill him too. But I am speaking of over 30 years 

 ago. They had plenty of hounds and plenty of foxes — and hares too. 

 Other game was also plentiful. Chop Yat in those days was the head- 

 quarters, the outlying hounds being collected there the evening previous 

 to the hunting day, and stabled at George Bell's. The hounds in these 

 days all had their liberty in the close season, and when hunting was 

 finished they were brought to Bell's blacksmith's shop, and a who 

 placed through every hound's fore-foot between the toes, the ends. 



