THE miller's maid 389 



over the country close to twenty couple of slapping- foxhounds 

 with more than one hundred horsemen behind me. 



Saturday, February 22 nd. After the old Squire had 

 amused us by a few personalities while waiting- by Envilles, 

 and had performed the unwonted civility of sending- to Lord 

 Petre to enquire where he would like to draw, and had ad- 

 dressed Cassidy, who had ventured to sport a cap, "You look 



so d d smart in that cap, I didn't know you ! " we went to 



Brick Kilns, and thence to Barnish, from which covert a rare 

 good run took place by Abbess, White Roothing, Leaden and 

 Aythrop to High Roothing, Bury, killing at Poplars. John 

 Stallibrass went well at first, but pumped his horse, got a fall, 

 and could not keep with them. Sworder, on his good little 

 mare, went well, and so did young Honey wood, and the two 

 Mashiters were well placed ; Lord Petre also was well up, and 

 seemed to enjoy it, while he told me I was very happy. 



Fyfield, the first fixture for staghounds, March 8th, 1851. 

 The dry weather and distance of foxhounds at Takeley caused 

 the largest field to assemble I have yet seen with the stag- 

 hounds. Lady Petre was in her carriage to witness the un- 

 carting of the quarry, " The Miller's Maid." As soon as 

 hounds were laid on it was apparent that there was a capital 

 scent, for they literally raced over the first few fields across the 

 lane leading to Fyfield, down to the Farm House, where some 

 rushes laid in a ditch made an awkward place, by declining 

 which, in the first instance, though I had to have it afterwards, 



1 • 1 * 



the hounds got three fields ahead, but seeing them incline to 

 the left I sailed away down the meadows and soon came up 

 with them. Then down to the river not far from Shelly, over 

 the brido-e leading- into the Forest Hall meadows, in front of 



11 



the house, just avoiding the invisible fence, and over the 

 hurdles, avoiding John Stane, who was afoot, with some 

 difficulty ; then into the Ongar Road, which I quitted directly 

 by taking a fence under a tree, when Du Cane, who was just 

 behind me on his roan, told me to put down my head, and in 

 following lost his own hat, but the pace was too good to stop, 

 and he pluckily rode to the finish bareheaded. 



Crossing these meadows in and out of the road and round a 

 barn, and by Paslow Hall meadows, to Allford Bridge, over 

 Myless Park, entering by the Lodge, and going to the bridge ; 

 but then bearing to the right and over the enclosures and a 

 litde road work to Navestock Green, and into the enclosure on 

 the left, with some stiff fencing, up to Ditchleys, by Wright's 

 Bridge to Bedford's, and over Tom Mashiters farm, to 



