294 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



Beyond Mr. Todhunter's spinney we had a five minutes' check. 

 Recovering the line beyond the Tyler's Cross to Parndon, Lane hounds 

 crossed the brook and ran very hard for Pinnacles. " Is there a way 

 over ? " said Mr. C. E. Green to Mr. Arkwright. " Only the bridge a field 

 to the left," came the reply, and for the bridge on the left they went. 

 Bailey, however, had spied a way in and out, a fairly easy walk down, but 

 a steep sideways' scramble out, and no horse out of the half dozen that 

 followed him did it better than Mrs. Bowlby's. After the brook a choking 

 plough up-hill took the pull out of most horses, the Admiral still 

 fanning in front, as we ran up to Pinnacles, and with our forces rather 

 augmented left the wood behind and made for Roydon — Messrs. E. and F, 

 Ball both well to the fore. Just short of Roydon our fox turned, Mr. 

 Arthur Waters finding the quickest way in and out of a lane for the left- 

 hand contingent as hounds ran on for Parndon. 



Swinging once more to the right they ran like smoke for Todds brook, 

 crossing the road below Northbrooks and running past Passmores, They 

 crossed some heavy fields with plenty of fencing, Mr. Balfour's good 

 chestnut whipping round at one blind place. In and out of a lane sharp 

 with Mr. C. E. Ridley and Mr. Charles Green, and as hounds turned once 

 more to the left and ran on fast for Parndon Woods, you could note that 

 Mr. Peel, Mr. Avila, Mr. H. Blyth, Mr. Waters, Mr. Tyndale White and 

 his son (on Miss Morgan's young chestnut) were in the first dozen that 

 were going in front, and reached the woods with hounds. 



Inside or outside the covert, which was it to be ? The first cannot be 

 wrong, thought Mr. Sam Fitch, as he plunged up the boggy ride. Coming 

 away with, some affirm, a fresh fox by Mr. Burchell's Farm, hounds went 

 at a great pace over Mr. Ralph Palmer's barbed-wire begirt land, and, 

 turning to the right, got away from the huntsman and all who attempted 

 to ride the line — a further delay occurring after crossing the Tyler's Cross 

 road at a fence which even Mr. Peel declared was too brambly for him. The 

 staff, with Mr. Arkwright, galloped away to the left to turn it, while Mr. 

 Gerald Gold, rather more fortunate, found a place on the right, and Mr. 

 Avila, who followed him, hung up his hat in the fence to mark the place 

 for Mrs. Bowlby, who was waiting her turn to go at it. No one, however, 

 caught the hounds before we reached Pinnacles, except some half dozen 

 who had made good use of the road when we left Parndon Woods. At 

 Pinnacles this good hunting run of one hour and forty minutes was 

 virtually over, and the lucky mortals who possessed second horses were 

 glad to get hold of them. 



Just as hounds were thrown into Latton Park it was reported that 

 Ladysmith''' had been relieved. This put everyone in good heart, and 

 Mr. Arkwright looked more pleased than usual when hounds found at 

 once in his covert, and pushing their fox round came away at the Parndon 

 end, running the green lane for a short distance towards the Priory Farm 

 before turning off for Rye Hill. 



At a splitting pace hounds ran across the common for Parndon Woods, 

 and without checking went straight through and out at the bottom end 

 of the further wood, and over the grass down to Broomfields. One at a 

 time we clattered in hot haste through Mr. Hodgkins' grounds and imme- 

 diately jumped the blind ditch out of the road; three or four more fences 

 and we were on the common, with hounds simply flying along in front of 

 us tailed out by the pace, and nearest to them, the huntsman, E. Short, 



* A rumour, alas, untrue, but a week later it was accomplished, one of our hunting men, 

 L. Buxton, being wounded in the final attack on the Boers. — En. 



