20 HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS. 



ran beautifully straight to the village of Harold 

 Wood, across Great Eastern Railway and high 

 road into the Essex country, through Hatters 

 Wood and across Dayman Park into the oaks, 

 from here to Weald village, turned sharp back 

 across the Park to Rochett's cover, to the brook, 

 again to a small cover. Here there were several 

 foxes afoot, and holloas in several places. Went 

 on with a fox across Rochett's, and up to Work- 

 house Wood, and gave it up between there and 

 the Moors. One hour and forty minutes up to 

 the cover where so many foxes were afoot. I 

 take the time to here, as hounds never left the 

 line till we got there. I feel sure we changed 

 (though they didn't seem to leave the Hne) in 

 the Platters. It was one of the finest runs I 

 have ever seen, as scent was so brilliant that 

 hounds were only cast twice, and the country 

 gone over a most unusual line. No cover either 

 was touched from Nightingale's Nest to 

 Dayman. After hounds crossed the Horn- 

 church Brook till they got to Harold Wood only 

 three of us were with them, as the rest of the 

 field went back over the Brook thinking hounds 

 had turned back. It was a very good day. 



One morning I was riding to the Meet, and 

 on the way met a boy. He was about eleven 

 years of age, and the son of a man farming 

 about 500 acres of land — a grand supporter of 

 hunting — and many a good run have we had 

 over his land ; so my feelings can be somewhat 

 imagined when, after talking about his pony and 

 the weather, chances of scent, etc., I said to 

 him, " Many foxes down your way ?" " I should 



