THE ANNUAL MEETING, MARCH lOTH, 1 9OO 3OI 



Miss Steele, Mr. C. V. Thorneycroft, Mr. J. Todhunter, Mr. B. E. 

 Todhunter, Mr. T. J. Howard, Mr. H. J. Miller, Mr., Mrs. and Miss 

 Waters, General Sir Evelyn Wood, V.C, Capt. H. W. W. Wood, Mr. 

 E. W. Young. 



Although it was a perfect day for riding about, it was by no means a 

 good one for sport, scent being at a discount, consequently hounds could do 

 little with a fox (one of a leash) found in Latton Park, which they came 

 away with to Parndon Woods, beyond disturbing some of the best coverts, 

 and a long morning was spent in vain looking for another fox. 



At 3 p.m., as there appeared but little prospect of finding a fox for some 

 time and having to catch a train to town, I started to hack back with my 

 man. We had hounds some distance off on our left as we rode homewards 

 through the fields by Todd's Brook and Northbrooks. Almost directly we 

 had passed Mr. Steele's house I viewed a lovely dark fox, one of the 

 richest-coated ones I have ever seen ; his fur was as thick as a colley dog's 

 and shone like polished bronze, and his brush swept the ground, as he ran 

 up the furrow of the ploughed field into the corner of a small adjoining 

 spinney. I am afraid that all thoughts of catching my train vanished to 

 the winds as we both commenced holloaing (I must say William has a fine 

 voice), mine soon gave out ; luckily we attracted the attention of Major 

 Ricardo in the distance, who passed it on, and it reached Bailey in the 

 Parndon Hall coverts, and he got a view of the fox as he galloped breaking 

 from the small spinney into which I had viewed him. Hounds did not 

 settle to run before they had left Passmores behind, and then they pushed 

 on very nicely as far as Kingsmores without a pause. A slight check at 

 the covert beyond, and as Bailey made his cast, Mr. Green, who was 

 keeping the crowd in check at a gateway, caused some amusement by 

 calling, " Yarboro', don't press them," and receiving the answer from that 

 individual who happened to be standing behind him — " Adsniii." 



Taking the line up by the side of Parndon Woods, hounds worked it 

 back through the woods to Passmores, where at 4 p.m. I had to leave 

 them and managed to catch the 5.30 up to town, after a very enjoyable 

 hunt of fifty minutes. 



One never enjoys a run more than when you have been the first to view 

 the fox. You acquire at once a sort of proprietary interest in him, and 

 experience in some small measure some of the enthusiasm a huntsman 

 feels whose aim it is to catch his fox when he has found him. 



A poor day's sport fell to my lot at my next venture, when hounds met 

 near Bentley Church, on Wednesday, March 14, for after dragging through 

 all the Weald Hall, Dagnam, and Pyrgo W^oods coverts — even Mr. 

 Docwra's gorse failed us ; also T^Irs. Mcintosh and Sir Charles Smith's 

 osiers, and Colonel Lockwood's preserves — I had to leave hounds (at 4 p.m.) 

 still hoping to avert the blank. Nor did I quite appreciate the feelings of 

 a man who declared a blank day with fox hounds was worth a good day 

 with stag hounds. We had only a small field out, including a sprinkling 

 of the followers of the Essex Union. I subsequently learnt from Mr. 

 Tilling that hounds found in Gaynes Park at 5-15, and ran on in the 

 neighbourhood of the woods until it was dark. Mr. Tilling was thinking 

 of leaving at 6.30 to catch his usual train at 7.30, when Mr. Green 

 remarked, " Oh, stay and see it out." "See it out?" said Mr. Tilling, 

 " You can't see anything, only hear 'em ! " The fading light probably 

 accounted for two little croppers in this evening gallop, one to Mr. S. 

 Caldwell, the other to Mr. H. Sworder, whose horse pitched head over heels 

 as he landed in a new-made drain. On the following Monday, March 19, 

 hounds met at Kelvedon Common, and searched the whole country side 

 in vain for a fox, a blank day having to be recorded. 



