WhitcMirch — Sandford. 55 



thrown out, for while they galloped towards Euyton the 

 hounds turned behind them, and crossed the park by the 

 house, w^ith only the rearguard and two or three knowing 

 ones in the swim with them. Dropping down across the 

 railway, a very pretty gallop resulted across the grass to 

 Stanwardine. Surveying the line of pursuit from above 

 the railway, was interesting and tantalizing, I admit, 

 but there was nothing for it but to negotiate their gaps, 

 and overtake them in slow hunting up to Stanwardine 

 Gorse, which the fox did not appear to have entered, 

 but its precincts were sacred for to-day, and its earths 

 open. So we trotted back to Baschurch, and in the 

 sedgy plantations by the railway put No. 2 on his legs. 

 He tried to cross the line, but was met by a shepherd 

 and his dog, and showed his folly by preferring the jaws 

 of the hounds to facing the lesser foe, and so was eaten, 

 there and then. Chagrined at this, there w^as nothing 

 for it but a long jog to Nesscliff, which the majority of 

 our plucky field preferred to undertake sooner than give 

 in for the day, and in this they were unusually rewarded. 

 A fox was quickly found, and as quickly rattled into the 

 open above Great Ness, then, bending to the right, he 

 took us nicely by Little Ness, where some ploughs made 

 us hang fire a little, until we got on the grass again 

 across the Baschurch road, and leaving Adcote a field on 

 the right, crossed the river near the mill, going merrily. 

 Two fields further, and we checked again, only, however, 

 to hit him cleverly over the next road, and steer away 

 for Walford, where a soldier, in taking a fly at the brook 

 that divides the two counties, came down a burster, from 

 his horse over-jumping himself. Leaving Walford Hall 

 on his left, our good fox was evidently bent on gaining a 

 haven at Leaton Knoll, which he eventually did, a 

 couple of miles further on, and Goodall wisely determined 

 not to pursue him any further into Shropshire country, 

 and ordered the hounds to be stopped at a quarter to five 

 in the afternoon, after giving us a very pretty hunting 

 run of about an hour, entirely in the open over a nice 

 rideable country, that afforded plenty of fun, but perhaps 

 lacked the pace that some aspiring spirits would have 

 enjoyed. To mj humble way of thinking, those big dog 

 hounds lack the dash, music, and nose that the Sir 

 Watkin's of old days used to be famous for — perhaps I 

 have no right to say so, but with all the means at 



