60 HUNTING AND SPOBTING NOTES. 



reaching the village, and, turning to the right from Acton 

 Eeynald, pointed for Wythiford. We had touched a 

 small covert here, and were nearing the river Eoden, when 

 hounds threw up, and we never recovered his line again, 

 after twenty-five minutes of very straight and pretty 

 running. What became of him is still a mystery, but I 

 think he is destined to give us another good gallop, 

 before long, from Wythiford. 



Our Whitchurch Saturdays have come back to us, and 

 to-day Borderer's emerald eye cast a longing glance 

 towards that favoured land, as he wended hi s way towards 

 Market Drayton. This is what was wafted to him on 

 the breeze. " A fox at Sandford Pool, of course — and a 

 good one ; a cjuick start, and the usual race over the 

 fifty-acre field, as if for Cloverley— not his point, 

 however, to-day, for hounds are racing more to the right, 

 and are soon across the Market Drayton and Whitchurch 

 road, and down to the brook, luckily close to a ford. In 

 the next field, hounds check, and then steadily pursue 

 their way by the Losford Spinnies, and again over the 

 brook. This time there is no ford, so hearts have to be 

 hardened, or the chase abandoned. Some half dozen are 

 struggling in its swollen waters. On goes the chase 

 across the Bletchley Moor, where some barbarously black 

 ditches and awkward fences find fresh votaries, until 

 hounds check at the railway, and the line is never 

 recovered. Perhaps this straightfos was winking his eye at 

 Goodall in Buntingdale before he has done casting for 

 him. The Cloverley big wood produces another, which 

 is less ambitious of fame. He peregrinates to the 

 Shavington wall, and then back to the Park, where he is 

 caught. Cloverley Gorse responds for a third fox that 

 goes straight into Shavington, and presently again emerges,, 

 much to the delight of the quiet road division, who 

 are making for the front entrance, and after him come 

 the hounds and Goodall in good style, till he manages to 

 hide himself in the recesses of Styche Wood, and all 

 hurry back to catch the special. The morning's run has 

 been the redeeming feature of a nice hunting day." 



Oh that I could close this budget as pleasantly as it 

 began, but nasty, unpleasant things have to he faced 

 even ad nauseafn. I had hoped to have done for a time 

 at least with vulpecidism in the South Shropshire 

 country, but it was not to be — " If you please, sir, will 



