A GALLOP OVER THE GRASS FROM LATTON PARK 97 



of inquiries of "Where is he?" or "Why wasn't he there?" but it is a 

 game I have never cared about myself to come out on a raw youngster 

 with a coat hke a doormat, and miss probably the run of the season. 

 However, each man to his own taste ; we are not all built the same way. 

 Certainly if I wanted to school a beginner it would not be on Wednesday 

 with the Essex Fox Hounds, my friend,* but with Tuesday's harriers 

 or Saturday's beagles. How many good runs you have lost, and will 

 you lose, this way ? The following occur to me at time of writing as 

 having participated in W^ednesday's sport. Doubtless I have missed many, 

 and of the many I crave pardon for remissness : 



Our Master and Mrs. Bowlby, Mrs. Arkwright, Mr. C. E. Green, Mr. 

 R. Y. Bevan, Mr. Avila, Mrs. F. Ball, Mr. E. A. Ball, Mr. Basham, Mrs. 

 Bennett, Mr. A. S. Bowlby, Misses Bowlby (2), Miss Blyth, Mr. and Mrs. 

 Walter Buckmaster, Capt. and Mrs. Bruce, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Buxton, 

 Miss T. Buxton, Major and Mrs. Carter, Mr. Christie, Mr. E. A. Cockett, 

 Mr. and Mrs. Weston Crocker, Mr. and Mrs. Grossman, Mr. F. Dent, 

 Messrs. Furze (2), Mr. S. Fitch, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Fowler, Messrs. 

 Tresham and Guy Gilbey, Mr. Archie Gold, Mr. Green, of Parndon, Mr. 

 Gregory, Mr. and Mrs. R. D. Hill, Mr. Horner, jun., Mr. T. R. Hull, Mr. 

 George Hart and two sons, Mr. J. Harris, Mr. G. Harris, Mr. Howard, 

 Mr. Jones, Dr. Love, Mr. G. H. Lee, Mr. F. E. Loyd, Mr. R. C. Lyall, 

 Mr. W, M. Marter, Mrs. Neill, Mr. Archibald Peel and Misses Peel (2), 

 Miss Pelly, Mr. Phelips, Mr. Radford, Capt. Ricardo, Mrs. Redwood, Rev. 

 R. L. Scott, Mr. A. R. Steele and son, Mr. Swire, Mr. R. S. Tilling, Mr. 

 Todhunter, Major W^ilson, Mrs. Waters. 



Just as hounds moved off a horse reared up and came over backwards 

 with his rider in the middle of the road, about as nasty a fall as one can 

 meet with. Luckily no bones appear to have been broken, and we had a 

 doctor with us (Dr. Love, of Hoddesdon), who later on in the day was 

 risking his own and other people's necks by jumping gates. 



No sign of a fox before we reached Harlow Park, and then we had 

 four on foot at once — and four good ones— a brace going Latton- wards, 

 and one for the open country beyond Hastingwood Common, and the other, 

 whose fate was sealed, making tracks over Harlow Common for Barnsley's. 

 Without entering the covert, he crossed the Harlow road and ran very 

 fast towards Gravel-pit Wood. Leaving that and Bay's Grove on the 

 right, hounds rattled along over the grass pastures towards Latton, and 

 taking a turn over the lane, ran into their fox on the edge of Harlow Bush 

 Common. Mr. R. D. Hill on " Eastern Lady " must have had a rare squeak 

 for it as he flew the rabbit-burrowed bank just before the kill. There was 

 little fencing in this gallop unless you happened to be on the right of 

 hounds, where Mr. Stacey, of Puckeridge renown, on a wonderful grey, 

 was doing the piloting, for on the left the road from the Clock Tower lay 

 convenient. All the same, it was a nice merry little hunt, creditable ahke 

 to huntsman and hounds, and bringing us conveniently to the luncheon 

 hour, prepared us for the afternoon's treat. 



A Gallop over the Grass from Latton Park. — The moment hounds 

 were in covert they opened, and after a false start in the direction of Harlow 

 Park, their fox set his mask boldly for Parndon Woods. At that instant a 

 second horseman was jogging steadily homewards towards Epping, and was 

 passing Rundell's. Without drawing rein he arrived at the bottom of the 

 lower Forest as the fox, looking tired then, crossed the road three fields in 



* H. E. Jones, who, of late years, was always very fond of riding young ones, and conse- 

 quently was often out of it. 



7 VOL. II 



