Hunting in England 131 



The door of the cottage being open, the fox ran into the house 

 and was pulled down by the hounds under the dining room 

 table. When the huntsman could get in there the old lady was 

 standing on top of a small table, her dress pulled tightly about 

 her ankles, and screaming at the top of her voice. Underneath 

 and around the dining room table twenty-two couple of hounds 

 were quarrelling and fighting for possession of their game. As 

 the huntsman reached the door a table leg gave way and over 

 Avent the dishes, dinner and all among the surging, snarling 

 j)ack. This pack at that time had hunted ninety-eight days 

 and had killed one hundred and one foxes. 



"The Vale of the White Horse Hunt" is another genuine 

 hunting institution, and Cirencester, where the hounds are 

 located, is a convenient centre. Some of the most charming 

 men in all England train with these hounds. Then there is the 

 Warwickshire, with wliich pack the writer had a memorable 

 run in the wake of that most accomplished cross country rider, 

 the Countess of Warwick. The South Staffordshire Hunt near 

 Lichfield is the right sort altogether. It was the custom of 

 these big-hearted Staffordshire farmers to put a good piece of 

 fresh meat at each fox's earth on Christmas eve, so they might 

 enjoy like themselves a good Xmas dinner. A fox's mask 

 and brush presented to the writer by the master, Sir Charles 

 Cooper, at the end of a hard day's run, is especially prized. 

 And last but not least, a day ^dth the North Warwickshire 

 hounds from Banbury Cross with our esteemed friend and 

 sportsman, Artist J. Crawford Wood, whose clever hand did 

 so much to enrich the chapters of "Cross Country with Horse 

 and Hound," was most enjoyable. 



It was from Banbury Cross "upon a cock horse" that many 

 a hunting man received his first taste of cross country, riding 

 astride his father's stout boot, that always managed to spill him 

 over the last fence or ditch. 



Wherever you may drop down on the sod of Merry Eng- 



