324 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARV 



(After a long day with the Queen's Staghounds on Friday, 

 April nth, 1845, described most graphically and at length in 

 the diary, the following postscript is extracted : — " Reached 

 Osborne's stables at 4 o'clock, without a dry thread about me 

 but rejoicing in having had a good day's sport, and having got 

 back in time to show myself at the office and transact a little 

 business before the day closed ; after this I recruited my 

 inner man by a dinner at my chambers consisting of a 

 couple of mutton chops with tea close upon the heels of it, 

 and then set to work and continued at it until past midnight. 



1 record this fact not as an unusual occurrence, but as a very 

 ordinary one, and with an honest pride of making the most of 

 a day ostensibly devoted to pleasure." 



" Sleeping at Dunmow on April 22nd, after being present at 

 a Hunt dinner held at the Saracen's Head, Dunmow, the 

 former night, with Mr. Wilson, of Canfield Hart, in the chair, 

 supported by the two Woodbridges, Mr. Vickerman drove 

 the next morning, in company with Kidd, to the King William, 

 when a scratch pack of draft hounds, kept by Adams for 

 Morgan, were to hunt a stag ; the animal having broken its leg 

 their chances of a day's sport were reduced to a bagman, which 

 arrived (sic). 'With the ten couple of hounds brought by young 

 Sam Morgan, our pack numbered seven and a-half couples, 

 with about fourteen or sixteen riders.' ") 



Our fox, a vixen, having;- been turned down on a mead near 

 the King William, whisked her brush and went away in style, 

 but owing to the dry state of the ground, we lost her about 



2 o'clock.* We then returned to the King William, where 

 nearly all our party having recruited themselves with meat and 

 drink, Adams' man. Buttle, was despatched with a lot of meat 

 attached to a rope, with a supply of aniseed, to take the line of 

 meadows from Lord's Wood, towards Bush Wood and 

 Chelmsford ; while we were giving him law a man arrived 

 warm and pale, who had just run another drag from Halling- 

 bury for some Bishops Stortford men. The greater part of 

 our company were not for running a drag, and I confess, with 

 my back and hip still very painful from Tuesday's misad- 

 venture, the tremendously hard state of the ground, enough to 

 lame your horse, and break his knees and his rider's neck, and 

 being mounted on " Chancellor," not noted for keeping on his 

 feet, I was of the majority ; but Kidd, who had just purchased, 

 and was riding for the first time. Bridge's brown horse, appear- 



A good thing too. — Ed. 



