296 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



very early in the run. The pace was fast enough to test the condition of 

 a horse, and I soon found out that a fortnight's rest had not done " Peter " 

 any good, as hounds fanned along across some heavy ploughed fields in 

 the direction of Little Laver before taking a swing towards Moreton. Mr. 

 and Mrs. Arkwright, riding wide on the right, were only two out of the 

 fifty or sixty who were really well placed with hounds in the thirty-five 

 minutes up to the first check beyond Norwood near Lampett's Farm. 



In this gallop, occupying as I did a middle position between the first 

 rank, whose horses had got it in them, and the third rank, whose horses 

 could not quite go the pace, an old reflection came back very forcibly to 

 my mind, namely, that an Essex field never rides harder than it does at 

 the end of the season. Not a man nor woman appeared to be shirking a 

 fence. All seemed determined to see all that there was to be seen and 

 fairly revelled in the Roothing ditches. Mr. Tyndale White on his grey 

 was very much to the fore. John White was jumping places others would 

 not look at. Just before we touched Norwood Mr. Swire was carrying 

 barbed wire away from gateways. The Admiral was shoving his black 

 along ; Ned Ball on his fine chestnut had a line of his own, he always did 

 shine in a quick thing across the Roothings. His brother Frank was 

 always near the hounds. Messrs. David Christy — father and son — were 

 both there, the latter on a very good horse. Mr. B. E. Todhunter, on 

 his bold, big, jumping bay, was not a man to lose sight of, as he was one 

 of the lucky individuals who had seen the good run already alluded to. 

 Mr. George Brown was riding, as he always does, with an eye to the 

 leading hound. Mr. Howard, on his grey, held as good a place as anyone. 

 Miss Ethel Jones was in her element (a run across the Roothings). Mr. 

 Balfour, of Moor Hall, was going strong. Mr. Barron, on his grey ; Mr. F. 

 Green on his chestnut ; Miss M. Green, Mr. Seymour Caldwell, Mr. Carr ; 

 Mr. Thomas Cowee going in quite his old form, always ready to nip oft 

 for a gate. To me the pleasantest feature of the whole day was to see 

 Mr. Cowee in the pigskin again — able to ride as of yore. Mr. R. S. 

 Tilling — I travelled down from London town with Mr. Tilling — so I know 

 he was there. Mr. S. Fitch, Mr. Harry Savill, Mr. N. Gilbey, Mr. G. H. 

 Lee, Mr. Harris, of Parndon, Mr. C. E. Ridley, Mr. J. G. Pelly, Mrs. L. 

 Pelly, Miss C. Pelly, Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Price, Mr. W. Sewell, Mr. A. R. 

 Steele, Mr. G. Buxton, Mrs. F. Ball, Mr. Harrison, Mr. F. Avila, were 

 some of those occupying the good place they generally do when hounds 

 run hard. 



At Fyfield the run was by no means over, but the pace w^as, and it 

 could hardly be called interesting after the lane near Heron's Farm, where 

 Mr. Green, calling out " Ware wheat," led a contingent down the lane, a 

 lane, as it turned out, he had better have stuck to a bit longer, as it led to a 

 ford, and the recovery of hounds running by themselves across the park at 

 Forest Hall, those in direct pursuit of hounds being delayed by the river, 

 so that at a critical moment, beyond the park, when one hound was 

 running the line by herself, Bailey w-as not there to give any assistance, 

 and Mr. Arkwright, with Mr. Giles acting as whip, could not lay the 

 pack on as quick as he would like to have done. 



Another whimper or two beyond the brook, and Bailey had to give it up 

 near Norton Heath — after running exactly one hour. The wind blew 

 searchingly cold after this hot gallop, though it did not seem to affect Sir 

 Charles Smith, who was well up all through this run. I stated in my short 

 personal sketch of him (p. 103, vol. ii.), that he no longer rode across 

 country^at the time I wrote it Sir Charles did not come out — but the 

 season 1899-1900 found him once more as keen a votary of the chase as 



