THE GREEN SPRING VALLEY 



of hounds. Drew Cockey's Wood, where we found immediately, the fox 

 going due north across the Green Spring Valley and over the Dover Road 

 to Worthington Valley, a six mile point. At the start, hounds got away 

 from us, but we caught them in about thirty minutes, when they were brought 

 to their noses, working slowly across some dry plough. Scent was very bad, 

 but they persisted, and as the dew fell it improved, and getting closer to their 

 fox, they went on again at a good pace. Darkness shut in upon us and we 

 had to leave them running and were never able to tell what they did with 

 their fox. Thirty-one in the Field. 



" Saturday, November 26th, 1 904. Met at Cockey's Gate, Worthington 

 Valley, at 9:30 a.m. The day was cold and dry, with a stiff wind blowing — 

 most discouraging for good sport — and only about twenty turned up at the 

 meet. The first fox was found shortly, but as hounds were unable to force 

 him out of cover, they were stopped and we drew again, finding quickly on 

 Snow Hill. This fox broke cover and ran straight for Piney Hill, thirty-eight 

 minutes without a turn. From here on, the pace became furious, and the 

 Field could not have kept with hounds except that the going was perfect, all 

 in the open, over grass. During the next forty minutes the fox made three 

 big loops, finally going to ground ; two hours and eighteen minutes in all. 

 Started with sixteen and a half couples and had fourteen couples at the earth. 

 Only three of the Field finished the run, so severe was the pace, and when 

 we started for the kennels, twenty-four miles away, we were a pretty tired 

 lot of men and horses." 



It will be seen that in two of these runs, hounds met quite a bit after mid- 

 day and, as is often the case, scent improved as nightfall drew near. WTien 

 many of the Field are forced by business engagements to confine their hunt- 

 ing to the latter part of the day, this seems a pretty successful plan, and one 

 worthy of emulation by other American Hunts whose members are similarly 

 situated and who would like to enjoy the better sport. Surely three or four 

 hours behind foxhounds is vastly better than three-quarters of an hour with 

 the drag. 



The Green Spring Valley is a subscription Hunt, with a membership 

 of about two hundred and forty, and now has an attractive clubhouse, with 



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