THE SOUTH WILTS 



253 



Haileyburian, I left them running a good fox of Colonel Lockwood's in 

 the direction of Stapleford, snatching a run, almost as good as the last, 

 from the south-westerly gale that came lashing up, ere the sun had set. 



The Colonel's fox that I left hounds running on the afternoon of the 

 good Monday's sport from Bentley ^Nlill gave his pursuers two very enjoyable 

 hours' sport, and beat hounds at every turn. 



'Tis a curious thing to find yourself at Gaynes Park and the Lower 

 Forest from a Fyfield meet ; but such, I am told, befel all those who 

 followed the fortunes of the Essex Hounds last Wednesday week. What 

 they actually did I have only hearsay to go by, for on that particular 

 occasion I was having a day with the South Wilts,''' and was lucky enough 

 to drop in for rather a good thing, and found twenty years' experience over 





,^^i,^., ., 



Barbers 



Essex banks a very good training for the class of fences we encountered ; 

 for the only safe way to cross a Wiltshire or Dorsetshire double is to go 

 at it slowly, and leave a lot to your horse — shut your eyes and chuck the 

 reins on his neck if he is a clever one The owner of the animalt I was 

 lucky enough to ride assured me that I could not possibly get him down. 

 He credited me, however, with being a better horseman than I can lay 

 claim to, but I was afterwards assured that the South Wilts Hunt will 

 have a clear gap over a certain brook-guarded fence for the rest of the 

 season, which will be very useful to them in an emergency. The first fox 

 we found, within half-a-mile of the meet, led us a nice dance for fifty-seven 



* The Master of the South Wilts, Mr. Percy Browne, volunteered with his Yeomanry 

 Troop for the Transvaal War. — Ed. 



t Subsequently this horse proved to be an equally good conveyance with the Quorn, and on 

 one occasion stuck up the tield over a brook place that had to be done in two jumps. — Ed. 



