T^^S LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



last evening, drenched to the skin by a snow shower which greeted 

 me on alighting from the train at Brentwood, without any great 

 coat, and beat in my face until I reached Park Wood, and 

 which " Trap," from his snorting and starting seemed to relish 

 as little as his rider, I was puzzled by Beckington repeating that 

 he had been to the " King William " and Leaden Roothing 

 according to my instructions, and that no one there had heard 

 of its being in contemplation to uncart a stag on the morrow, 

 but that he had met an individual named Snow who stated 

 confidently that Hastingwood Common was to be the fixture. 

 As these places are a good ten miles apart, I was puzzled as to 

 the best course to pursue, but finally determined to start at nine 

 o'clock in the morning and ride round to Stallibrass's house, 

 which I believe to be in the neighbourhood of the latter place, 

 and who would be safe to know which was to be the fixture. 



The morning broke bright and beautiful after a slight frost 

 during the night, with the ground in capital order from the 

 rain and snow of Sunday and Monday, but a further difficulty 

 arose from Jack's non-appearance from Doddinghurst, where 

 he had spent the afternoon and evening of yesterday, and 

 whence he was to have returned by ten o'clock last evening. 

 Knowing the distances the horses would have to go in case the 

 "King William " should prove to be the fixture, and having been 

 kept up in expectation of Jack's return until long after midnight, 

 it was sorely against the grain that I gave him the chance of 

 upwards of half-an-hour (bearing in mind also his vehement 

 protestations that he would not stop even to dinner and leave 

 me alone, which I had checked at the time) giving him the 

 option of staying until lo o'clock ; but it being then past 

 the half hour after nine, and having first to go round to Mr. 

 Stallibrass's, Ongar Park Hall, I started on " Cognac," with 

 Beckington on " Champagne," but instead of taking the short 

 cut to Stondon across the fields, kept along the road on the 

 chance of meeting Jack. 



We had scarcely cleared the village before we did so, in Mr. 

 Harvey's cart, and shouting to him to mount his pony, which 

 was in readiness, and come after us immediately, we proceeded 

 at a foot pace until we came to the turning at Stondon with- 

 out seeing anything of Jack, and fearing he would miss the 

 turning we returned in the road and met Mr. Harvey's cart 

 proceeding homewards, and learned from Stone that Jack had 

 passed him in the village riding quickly. It was, therefore, 

 quite evident that he had taken the wrong road, and as he 

 would naturally have ridden at a great pace in the expectation 



