444 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



announced his intention of giving up the hounds at the end 

 of the season. As soon as I returned George Grenfell Glyn* 

 and others told me of the state of affairs, and we all got round 

 Frederick Petre and elicited his reason, which appeared to be 

 chiefly on the score of health and the fatigue of hunting hounds 

 himself, so that unless we could give him additional assistance 

 by increasing the subscription of ^400 he could not keep them 

 on. It also appeared that if we could raise it to ^550 he 

 would go on another season. However, all negotiations fell 

 through and he gave up the hounds, but said he would give 

 the hounds to us if we could go on without him. 



Our difficulty was literally only to find a Master, but that 

 we found to be insuperable, though we had hounds, deer, 

 country, subscription list, and the good will and good wishes of 

 all Essex. Mr. Arkwright was heard to express his regrets, for, 

 said he, it lets the steam off from the hard riders. Everyone 

 had his reason for declining the honour, and mostly, I must 

 admit, it zvas a reason. Very nearly I succeeded with Charles 

 Du Cane, one of our county M.P.'s, for nominal Master, with 

 Henry Petre and myself as a working committee, but while 

 matters were just on the balance I had to leave him, and in the 

 meantime the hounds were sold and went out of the county 

 into Kent, and there was an end of the affair — and of our hopes 

 for another season. 



December 21st, 1861. Galley wood the fixture, and with 

 a pattern of a " hunting morning," wind N.E., but little of it, 

 gray, still and cloudy, causing one's fingers to feel cool and 

 making one's friends' noses (and doubtless one's own also) look 

 red. A very large field assembled, quite unlike former times 

 with these hounds, being as practical a compliment to them as 

 it is a significant reproach to the black squire. 



Moulsham Thrift seemed to show a stale scent only, and 

 some small coverts on the Lodoe Wood side of the racecourse 

 not containing a fox, we drew Temple Grove. While I was 

 well stuck up in a ride behind some awfully slow fellows, having 

 passed a chance of getting out of the covert, there was a cheery 

 " view holloa," with the significant addition " gone away." 

 However, it made me feel at first the very reverse of cheery, 

 for all my admonitions to those before me to get on produced 

 but little effect. At length I spied a side path which enabled 

 me to give theni the slip, and getting out of the covert and 

 galloping as hard as I could, I overhauled our Master and other 



* Afterwards Lord Wolverton. 



