D. SCRATTON AS M.P\H. 445 



good geographers, and getting on to rising ground saw the 

 hounds and leading riders some fields ahead and a valley 

 between us. However, I was on my gallant little " Tip," who 

 was as disgusted as myself and quite as anxious to catch them, 

 and so we set to work, and o-ettino- clear of the ruck and takino- 

 a straight line and cutting off all corners, we very soon got up 

 to them. We then drew up to Blue Hedges, where our fox 

 made his first and almost only turn backwards, which let up the 

 ruck again. Thence we went to Cock Wood, and thence at a 

 better pace and in a straight line, over a brook (which stopped 

 many),* by Downham Hall, and pointing for Nevedon. 



After fording another brook, our fox ran to the left, down a 

 road, and was seen by the second horseman, so that they were 

 all comfortably in readiness. Though " Tipperary Boy," who 

 had been performing brilliantly, was as fresh as ever, yet as he 

 had had three-quarters of an hour of it and Beckington reported 

 the fox as looking very fresh, I changed on to " Shamrock," 

 chiefly to encourage B. to do the like again, he having 

 been the only second horseman who did not manage to get up 

 in time to be of any service last Tuesday. It was well, too, 

 that I did change, for though the pace was slower, yet we had 

 the same heavy country about Nevedon as we crossed on 

 Tuesday ; our fox seemed not to know his way any further, for 

 he went only a field wide of Offins Grove and ran on to Bowers 

 Gifford Church, where he was pulled down in a ditch close by 

 the churchyard. 



Every face, up at the finish, was radiant with delight and 

 Huntsman and whip were rewarded with many a Christmas 

 box. Distance : 12 miles ; time : one hour twenty-six minutes, 

 a very good hunting run, affording amusement to everyone and 

 producing the usual allowance of falls, and some very dirty ones, 

 though nothing serious. Most Masters of hounds would have 

 been contented with this, and many huntsnien, too, would have 

 thought they had had enough, not so Mr. Scratton and 

 Shepherd, and the order was passed for Nevedon Bushes. I 

 changed back on to " Tipperary Boy," who was as fresh as 

 when he came out. xA. large proportion of the field went home, 

 the gluttons remaining. 



We found in the Bushes, and at 10 minutes to 3 o'clock our 

 fox went away with the hounds close at him. The first fence 

 away from the covert on that side is a wide one, a fair sound 

 bank with low hedge and a wide, deep watercourse on the off- 



They always do. — Ed. 



