14 HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS. 



without a moment's delay, and, greatly to the 

 satisfaction of the three men of Kent, he always 

 ran the same line, which ended at Purfleet 

 Chalk Pits, where they lost him — until one day 

 when there was a burning scent, away went 

 Mr. Fox, as usual over Bulphan. Here hounds 

 threw up, but Mr. Offin was on his tracks, 

 and came upon the " gentleman," his loud 

 holloa brought the hounds, and so ended the 

 Norsey fox, who had taken the three men of 

 Kent home with very little inconvenience to 

 themselves. 



In 1854 a brace of foxes were afoot in 

 x\rnolds, the pack divided, and Mr. Ofhn tells 

 the tale of how he went away with half the 

 hounds and killed his fox on Kelvedon Common 

 having run him into a wood-stack, which he 

 pulled down, and when he got to the last layer, 

 there he saw his "friend," but his subsequent ex- 

 perience was unique, he came up with the other 

 half of the pack and saw them kill their fox three 

 miles beyond Ongar. 



Mr. Offin always says he never rode horses 

 up to his weight ; but they were well-bred ones, 

 and he liked a free goer. Once he was mounted 

 on a horse called "Freemason" when they found 

 in the Plantations, Hadleigh ; and, running in a 

 north-easterly direction, Mr. Offin jumped the 

 brook below Eastwood Lodge. To those who 

 know the place, I need not describe what a 

 bold man and horse is required to take on the 

 job, and I cannot remember having seen anyone 

 tackle it in that spot. After crossing the brook, 

 they went straight through the Bull Woods and 



