XOTADfJ: RCXS. 123 



the finish liad liad cnoiii^h. and went their xarious ways, well satisfied witii tiie 

 day's sport. The county policeman above mentioned i.V\(.\ in it live to the finish, 

 though he started keenly from Westwood, and, as he became exhausted, shed 

 his garments one by one. lea\ing his cape at one cottage, belt and leggings at 

 anotlu'r. 



The most recent notable run witli the R.R.B. was on 12th Dec., 1894, 

 I'lom Prenton liiidge to Heswall C'huicli, and back to I'nrnsfon for a kill. 

 Our I'liend, Tempest Dixoi^ communicated the followinj; account to the 



KOVAL ROCK HFAGLKS. 



As this pack, now just on its jubilee, is showing rare sport, perhaps a short 

 account of its doings last week may interest some of your readers. On Wed- 

 nesday, the 12th instant, the meet was at Prenton Bridge, over the Fender. 

 This valley has always been looked ui).)n as the cream of the country' hunted 

 over by this pack, and ntited for its stout hares, and on this occasion it kept up 

 the traditions of the past : but alas ! a railway now being made right through 

 it makes us sceptical as to the future. At the trysting place there were some 

 seven members and a fcw^ friends to meet the Master and his eleven and a-half 

 couples ; and, keen as ever, he threw off on the stroke of 12 o'clock to draw the 

 land up towards Monk's Farm, Woodchurch, which he did without finding; but 

 just as he was turning to try lower down in the valley, a message came from the 

 farmer " to try his big field well, as there bs two or three hares. thereabout, he 

 knew ;" and right he was, as hardly had we got into the field when up one 

 jumpsd, and the little hounds drove her in view down to the Fender, but here 

 she made a sharp turn and came back to the right, then, turning to the left, she 

 crossed the Woodchurch road and pointed as if going to Landican village, 

 then edging o.T to the right crossed the Barnston road by Thingwall Hall, 

 running up towards the mill, but on the brow of the hill turned left-handed, 

 and went straight as if for Barnston, but just after passing the big dip going 

 into the village, she took another turn to the right and headed for Heswall 

 Common, keeping Higher Pensby on the right, the little hounds driving her along 

 merrily all the time ; once on the common there was some very good hound 

 work ; for although on the heather scent was good, in the sandy lanes, of which 

 there are many, only some of the old hounds could own to it, but with the help 

 of one or two view halloas we managed to work on over the common and down 

 nearly to the church ; to this point the distance from the find is just four miles. 

 Here she clapped in a garden and was very nearly chopped, but managing to 

 get out of the drive gate, she took us in full cry right up the road, through no end 

 of villages (all doing their best to mob her) and on to the common again, over 

 which we had some slow hunting, but once off it, the hounds carried a grand 

 head and were going their best pace, and as we had a grass country in front, it 

 looked as if they were going to get their well-earned reward, which the\' did just 

 at the church end of Barnston village, where they hunted up to their hare on 

 a wheat -field and ran her in view, old Craftsman pulling her down. This 

 point from where she was put out of the garden is quite one and a-half miles 

 straight. The time of the run from the find was an hour and thirty-one minutes. 

 and was as good a beagling run as anyone could wish, as although the pace was 

 good almost throughout, yet the hounds never got right away from the field. 

 After the trophies had been duly cut off, the hounds had their worr}'. May we 

 have many more such runs, and may our worthy Master take home the mask of 

 many such good hares, to be used as this one was, so whisper sayeth, to blood 



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