THE FINXHLEY STAG HOUNDS 36 1 



Hobson's spurt, Hobson's mare was not sorry to go slower, 

 and we allowed the leading hounds to resume their proper 

 position. At this time the only others with the hounds were 

 Francis Barker, Peters, and Jennings on Robinson's little mare. 

 It had been proposed to whip off the hounds on getting so near 

 the deer, but those who knew the country and saw how strongly 

 the deer was running fortunately over-ruled it, stating, and 

 truly, that in that case with the short pack (only six and a half 

 couples) we should not take the deer. Hobson's spurt over, he 

 fell into the old position and did not show particularly forward 

 afterwards, and his place was taken by F. Barker. And now 

 came the prettiest and straightest bit of the run and the longest, 

 without even a momentary check — the hounds running in a 

 line, as in fact they did all day, as hard as they could go, and 

 F. Barker and myself riding parallel with them and with each 

 other about 20 or 30 yards apart. Keeping our horses' heads 

 straight and not interfering with each other or the hounds, in 

 this way we rode for between twenty minutes and half-an-hour, 

 and I enjoyed it much, for F. Barker rode quietly and well, as 

 he always does. 



" Cognac," therefore, went pleasantly as well as magnifi- 

 cently, taking all his fences, whether high bank, drops, or wide 

 ditches, or all three combined, in superb style, frequently flying 

 the whole lot, but never making a mistake, and in this wav went 

 by Dunmow to Stebbing where a check occurring at Barnston 

 Brook let up the second flight. Thence to Little Saling with 

 slow hunting up to Shalford, running by Gosfield towards 

 Weathersfield, taking the stag in a pond on an off-hand farm 

 belonging to Tabor, having passed Marriott's house, making a 

 twenty mile point to point from where the deer w^as uncarted. 



Towards the end it became, as it invariably does with a 

 stag, very slow% so much so that I took refuge in Mr. Burder's 

 stable for a smart snow shower. The run was certainly the 

 very best I have ever witnessed in Essex or, I think I may 

 say, anywhere else, because it possessed all the ingredients of a 

 good run and there was no check caused by whipping-oft 

 hounds. It caused me to observe, while ridine alonorside 

 Barker, more than once, "This is worth a whole season with 

 Conyers," and all agreed that it was worthy of the best days of 

 Sheffield Neave. We must have gone over thirty miles of 

 country in rather more than three hours, and the last hour and 

 a-half was slow, so that we must have gone at an amazing pace 

 for the first hour and three-quarters as evidenced by the tailing 

 off of the riders and distress of horses. At least one-third of the 



