360 LEAVES FROM A HUNTINCx DIARY 



Onorar and Greensted, I confess that I relished it much less 

 than usual, but every feelino- of this description was dispersed 

 as soon as I found we were in time for the run. 



About thirty people were assembled, all riders, consisting of 

 the attendants upon the hounds and men hunting with Conyers 

 and the Puckeridge. The only two in pink were Bean and 

 Garland. One of the two deer (brought down with the hounds 

 by rail from Sawbridgeworth) was uncarted just below the 

 church and ran clown the road, and while pivino- him law of ten 

 or twelve minutes and collecting- a cap, Peters and Barker 

 exhorted me to ride for the honour of Essex. As soon as old 

 Meshech laid the hounds on it was evident that there was a 

 burning scent, for they rattled down the road a capital pace for 

 a quarter of a mile and then turned to the right, across country, 

 bearing in the direction of White Roothing. They swept over 

 this beautiful country at an excellent pace and though all out 

 were riders, still the enclosures will always make a distinction. 

 "Cognac" kept close with the hounds and did what a horse 

 never did with me before, swerving towards a gap jumped on 

 to a hound, making him yelp lustily but not preventing his 

 going on. 



Here Peters rode well up as did Firman of Stortford. 

 The deer now made a ring which let up the tailors, and then 

 crossed a road with a drop into it which old Meshech did well ; 

 and this was the last trace of our Huntsman, for he was very 

 badly mounted, or the game old fellow would have been about 

 in his usual place. Fortunately the scent was so good that the 

 hounds required no hunting, and when a slight check occurred 

 either Bean or Garland generally managed to creep up in time 

 to render them what little assistance they required. At a rat- 

 tling pace we ran by Stortford Town to Canfield Hart, where, 

 checking a minute or two — not more — we raced for Dunmow. 

 During this latter and quickest part Hobson and myself were 

 leading, the former not having ridden forward up to Canfield 

 Hart, but then, as is his wont, making a spurt and challenglng 

 " Cognac " to a race. This I prudently declined lest he should 

 overpower me, as I had needed all my strength to ride and hold 

 him in the run without racing, up to this point. I had seldom 

 more than one or two couples of the leading hounds alongside 

 me, and here I am almost ashamed to write — Hobson and 

 myself were riding the deer (whom we had in view for a mile 

 or two) being within fifty yards of him and ahead of the leading- 

 hounds. 



Holding " Cognac," though with great difficulty owing to 



