RIDING FOR THE BRUSH 373 



against each other, and in their emulation did not sufficiently 

 observe a sudden turn to the left, and went on leading the 

 others after them until they came to an impracticable fence 

 which they could not surmount, and which prevented them 

 seeing the fox pulled down. 



Thanks to a temperate horse, I had quietly observed their 

 proceedings, and as soon as the fox and hounds turned to the 

 left, instead of ooino- with the rest straio-ht on, I charged the 

 fence in the only practicable place, and saw the fox pulled 

 down, being within 50 yards at the time (as Will was not 200 

 yards off, though pounded) ; I sat quietly on my horse, without 

 interfering with the hounds, and watched them breaking him 

 up, when, to my amusement, Chafey came bundling through 

 the fence afoot, having left his mare on the other side, and 

 laying into the hounds with his whip, seized hold of the dead 

 carcase and claimed the brush. However, I insisted on my 

 right, and Chafey, no doubt feeling that it was mine, did not 

 press his claim, but contented himself with the head. 



Every one was delighted with the good day's sport and 

 glorious finish, and none more so than that fine old sportsman, 

 Mr. Woodbridge, who having provided us with plenty of foxes 

 during the day now provided us with a luncheon. "Wide 

 x'\ wake's " forehead in the meantime having been decorated 

 with the brush by Joe, and about ten minutes or a quarter of 

 an-hour having elapsed, up came Charles Tyrrell, who seeing 

 me with " Carlow " on Monday, observed that I stuck to the 

 old horse and left the long tails, " Wide Awake " and " Peep 

 o' Day " for my groom, so that in the early part of the 

 first run I pointed out that I was riding one of the long tails. 

 Afterwards, in the early part of the first run, when the scent 

 was bad and we could not get on, I was riding very quietly 

 either through a gateway or following others through gaps, 

 when C. Tyrrell said laughingly, "This is the way you ride the 

 long tails ; " therefore, when he had come up after the finish, 

 I turned " Wide A wake's " head towards him ornamented with 

 the brush, and pointing to the latter replied, "This is the way 

 I ride the lonor tails ! " 



It is singular that long as I have hunted with Conyers, 

 this is the first time 1 have ever been out when a fox has fairly 

 been pulled down in the open after a good run ; all the kills I 

 have witnessed (including even the noted Row Wood fox), 

 being either in or at the side of a covert or in a ditch, therefore 

 I was proportionately pleased to have witnessed the pulling 

 down, and being- mounted on one of mv new horses unused to 

 the country, made it doubly gratifying. 



