DRAG HUNTING 325 



ing to greatly wish for it, the rest consented. With my sore 

 limbs my confidence was not increased by hearing most of the 

 men declare that they would not ride "Chancellor" across 

 country if I would give him to them for so doing, and others 

 confessed that they could not ride him. 



Our party then went a little way to see the Bishops Stort- 

 ford men come in, but having made up my mind to ride I 

 reminded them that we had much better not let our drag go 

 stale. We started accordingly in a mead close to Lord's 

 Wood, and could smell the aniseed before the hounds owned 

 it, which they did soon afterwards, and away we went very 

 prettily over a beautiful line of meadow, along the course of 

 a brook with stiffish fencing and wideish places. Unfortunately 

 our team did not much relish aniseed, so that they did not long 

 continue to run well, but the line of country chosen by our 

 dragsman was so beautiful, being nearly all grass and so 

 different from the hard fallows which most of us anticipated, 

 that we all enjoyed our ride and ran up to our leader at the 

 brook very near Bush W^ood. Adams, our Master pro tern., 

 blew his horn well and rode better than he sometimes does. 

 Kidd went better on his new purchase than I have ever yet 

 seen him go. His horse is a long blood-like looking animal, 

 16 hands high, and with his good hands will get out of the 

 habit of refusing his fences. It is singular with him that he 

 generally rides a new horse better than he does one to which 

 he is accustomed. We must have had between one to two 

 hours with our drag, and I left them at nearly half-past five 

 going to draw Bush Wood, not caring to be one to disturb any 

 of Conyers' coverts, and having to call at the Farm to discuss 

 the felling of some trees. 



Saturday, November 29th, 1845. Met at Matching Green. 

 Weather mild, cloudy and muggy, and the field numerous, 

 including several strangers, and among them Lawton and a 

 friend named Griffiths, a Frenchman and companion of the 

 Duchesse de Berri in her adventures in La Vendee. Man 

 Wood was drawn blank to our surprise, but we found in Brick 

 Kilns and went away prettily to Envilles ; changing we came 

 back again to Wood End at a great pace, when w^e killed a 

 vixen cub, and there was then a talk of going to a bagman at 

 Leaden Roothing, but Hodgson fortunately suggested that we 

 should try Norwood, where we found a brace, and went away 

 with a fine old fox through Brick Kilns and Wood End to Man 

 Wood. Here it is supposed we changed and went on to 

 Hatfield Town and Mr. Lowndes' Park, where we gave it up. 



