BOVNTON HALL WOOD 



435 



throug-h January, and so recently as yesterday pouring- down in 

 torrents. Our hind would not run, and we had only one in the 

 cart, so not to disappoint what was an unusually good field for 

 this season, the hounds were trotted from Newney Green to 

 F. Barker's house, "Westlands," near Ingatestone, where the 

 deer are kept. There we turned out the young stag which he 

 had hunted on the last bye- day previous to regular hunting. 





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Boynton Hall Wood 



At first the stag- seemed as if he would not leave home, and 

 then trotted down the road by Barker's, turning to right and 

 then left over the brook, and coming to a cul-de-sac so far as 

 the road was concerned. Here he waited in the brook, and 

 went away with the hounds at his haunches, over the heavy 

 banking- country by Stock Brook, leaving Lilystone to the left, 

 and going very straight to Rettendon Common, which we 

 reached in forty minutes from laying on the hounds. " It was 

 a screamer." 



This country is too heavy and deep, in weather like this 

 present season to ride to staghounds, and the banks are high 

 and narrow. " The Baroness " had never been used to a 

 banking country, and I had never ridden her in it, but she 

 acquitted herself admirably. Glyn, on his clever grey mare, 

 started off with the lead from the brook, but lost it and himself 



