THE CHOICE OF SIX PACKS 387 



fixture. The Christys had provided a luncheon at Boynton 

 Hall, and a small field mustered, including Lord Petre, F. 

 Petre, Sir C. Smith, Parker, Soames, three Reeves, two 

 Barkers, Stallibrass^about twenty-four altogether. Mr. F. 

 Petre hunted the hounds, riding his old black mare of last 

 season, but apparently on no better terms than he then was, 

 for he did not get on comfortably and hadn't sufficient stomach 

 for his fences. Lord Petre, mounted on the same lengthy 

 black horse he rode on Saturday, and which he told me he 

 had steeplechased, justified my anticipation of him as a rider, 

 his horse fencing beautifully, and appearing as much at home 

 with the banks and ditches as if he had been entered in Essex. 

 Sam Reeve rode an Irish horse (just bought by his Lordship) 

 so like the old chestnut that I did not at first perceive the 

 difference, and rode him very well. Soames, on a well-bred 

 and good shaped black horse, which has carried him four 

 seasons in the Vale of Aylesbury, also rode very well. Coming 

 to a check of some duration caused Lord Petre to exclaim — 

 "Where is the Squire ? " and then directly amending the phrase 

 "Where is the Master?" But neither Squire nor Master 

 responding he proceeded like a sportsman to assist the whip 

 in turning the hounds, and by the time they were put right 

 the Master appeared minus his horn, which had dropped, he 

 supposed, as his mare blundered at a fence. By Old Park. 

 Felstead Park, Lees Priory taking the hind " Lucy Long," 

 near Felstead Common. 



Saturday. November 30th. Not a litde creditable is it to 

 Essex as a hunting county, nor to Blackmore as a centre in it, 

 to record that this morning I had the chance of hunting with 

 any one of six packs of hounds, viz. : four of foxhounds, one of 

 staghounds, and one of beagles. Conyers was at High 

 Roothing Street, The Essex Union at Stock, the East Essex 

 at St. Anne's Castle, and the South Essex at North Ocken- 

 don. The staghounds were at Writde Racecourse, and the 

 Blackmore Beagles at Roxwell, all within reach, the farthest 

 from here being St. Anne's Castle, about fifteen miles, where 

 1 occasionally go and have already been during the present 

 season. 



Saturday, December 7th. The fixture Fyfield. There 

 was a goodly muster, and it included the old Squire in great 

 force, in a pair of stirrups padded entirely with leather, copied 

 from the Duke of Wellington, whom he described as still 

 ridino- in the huntine field with QTeat ardour and determination, 

 and cracking his joke that " though he was not m the Dukes 

 shoes he was next best, being in his stirrups." 



