THE POiNT-TO-POlNT RACES At STONDON, 1 898 229 



worst places in the brook. One horse landed with his head against the 

 further bank and slipped back into a ravine, into which a good-sized dining 

 room could have been comfortably stowed away. 



Mr. Arkwright, who was riding last year's winner "Catapult," came 

 down and received a nasty cut on the face from his mare's foot. Mr. H. 

 R. Tweed and Mr. Guy Gilbey were amongst the victims. 



Mr. Dalton is as smart across country as he is in his get-up, 

 and, Hke Whyte Melville's dandy, he is all there when leaving 

 covert. However big, black and strong a fence faces him, 

 Mr. Dalton possesses a heart big enough and a horse good 

 enough to tackle it, and he is always one of the pioneers in 

 the Hunt point-to-point races. In 1898 at Stondon, over the 

 stiffest point-to-point course ever selected in Essex since the 

 inauguration of these races, he came in an easy winner on 

 " The Clown " in the red coat Welter Race, Mr. D. Grossman 

 being second. 



To Finish the Season. 



Writtle Park, 12 o'clock Monday, March 21st, i8g8. Writtle Park had 

 been taken this year by Mr. A. O. Barnes, and it was by his kind invita- 

 tion that a lawn meet was held on this occasion. The day was quite 

 appropriate for a function of that description ; the sun shining brightly 

 out of a sky flecked over by a few white fleecy clouds. No one seemed 

 in a hurry to move off, and Spalding, of Chelmsford, had plenty of time to 

 secure some groups of those who had mustered to witness the fall of the 

 curtain for the season 1897-8. 



Everyone who cared to dismount received a hearty welcome, the 

 Misses Barnes dispensing refreshments with grace and hospitality. Mr. 

 Tyndale White attired in mufti stood with his back to the fire surrounded 

 by a group of equally loquacious sportsmen ; and Mr. Sands, Mr. Caldwell, 

 General Wood, V.C, Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Price, Mr. and Mrs. E. 

 Sheppard, Mr. F. and Miss M. Green, were amongst those whom we 

 noticed seizing the passing moment. 



We drew up to Hylands without, I think, the slightest expectation of 

 finding a fox ; in fact, the owner of Hylands, Mr. Arthur Pryor (who, by- 

 the-bye, is 84 years of age) was so hopeless of our finding he told Edwards, 

 who went in to see him, that the sooner Bailey took his hounds away 

 from the garden policies the better it would be for our chances of 

 sport, for his (Mr. Pryor's) terriers hunted it every other day and always 

 found. What they found he did not describe ; what we found is readily 

 disclosed — " a blank." But the day was too sunny and too many hours 

 of it yet to run, for this futile draw to cause us much disappointment, 

 though we were quite ready for work, but not for a bad start, when hounds 

 took to the open from the Writtle end of the High Woods and threw up 

 the sponge at Lady Grove, Mr. Edwards coming to grief en youtc, and 

 much to his chagrin, in full sight of a would-be purchaser (Mr. Drummy 

 Smith) of his hog-maned bay. 



" No luck " muttered the huntsman, as the cast came to nothing, and we 

 retraced our steps to the High Woods. With a good fox in front of us we 

 left Colonel Disney's wood and ran nicely to Margaretting, the railway 

 spoiling what might otherwise have been a good run, as Bailey made a 

 line out as far as Stock. Home by Parson's Springs, Horsefrith Park 



