AFTKK THE ANNUAL MEKTINC 1880 17 



delightful in its softness ? The knowing ones, however, said it was too hot 

 for scent, but the hounds quickly proved the contrary, for, getting on to a 

 fox in Harlow Park, they soon rattled him out of it to Latton Priory, from 

 the further side of which covert he was viewed away. Settling on to his 

 line again, a momentary check occurred on the common, but a few hounds 

 picked it up without any assistance ; and a woman frantically waving her 

 arm in the distance proved that the line they were taking was the right 

 one. From this point the pace quickened, and a short but merry hunt of 

 about fifteen minutes terminated in a drain in the middle of a large grass 

 field. At an early part of this spin an amusing incident occurred. A 

 heavy weight in black voluntarily quitted his horse on his refusing a 

 fence. No doubt the heavy-weight thought that his horse would jump the 

 fence without him if he would not jump it with him. There were a good 

 many keen spirits out, and it would be hard to say who had the best of it. 

 A gentleman in mufti on an underbred cob was well to the fore, and a good 

 many others were as close to hounds as they could be without riding over 

 them. Miss Deacon, ably piloted by her father, was going right well. 



Parndon Woods were next drawn blank ; not so their popular and 

 hospitable owner's larder, for Mr. Todhunter provided us with refreshments 

 ad libitum. Directly afterwards in one of his home coverts the hounds 

 got on to a fine dog fox, which being headed, was unfortunately chopped. 

 " Lucky it was not a vixen," was freely remarked, and as freely assented 

 to. Another fox was soon found at Pinnacles, and the hounds simply 

 raced from here to Mark Hall, about a mile and a half. A slight check 

 ensued in the park, and a determined view-holloa was at the same moment 

 given. Bailey immediately went for it, but at the same instant hounds 

 commenced running harder than ever in the opposite direction. Bailey 

 not seeing this kept his horn going, and so Firr had to whip them off, 

 which he did not succeed in doing without difficulty ; the view-holloa 

 resulting in nothing, hounds could not hit off the old line again. Beckford 

 was certainly right when he advised that hounds should not be lifted to a 

 view-holloa as long as they show a line, as it may often happen that there 

 are two foxes on foot. Though this gallop was so short, yet it was so fast 

 that it was not hard to distinguish the leading sportsmen ; Mr. Green, of 

 Parndon, hitting off the brook at the right place, certainly had the best of 

 it, closely attended by Mr. George Hart. 



A good many more coverts were drawn, but all blank, the foxes evidently 

 being determined to have a holiday as well as their neighbours. It was 

 with regret that I heard, whilst riding home, that a valuable horse,''' which 

 had got into a ditch in the morning had since been shot, and that another 

 out of the same stable had died in harness, or, rather, I believe I should be 

 speaking more correctly if I had said, been killed in harness ; for it seems 

 that, following the chase on wheels, the ill-fated animal was driven into a 

 deep lane, and, no doubt, partly suffocated by the collar, fell down. Sitting 

 on its head did not apparently improve matters. 



On November 27th, 1880, Mr. C. E. Green made his hrst appearance 

 this season with the Essex Hounds, when they met at the Kennels and 

 dropped in for a very good run, for it was a rare scenting day. Grief was 

 plentiful and change of horses frequent, commencing with Col. Lockwood 

 lending the huntsman his horse " Slapper " after he had come to grief and 

 lost his nag through the bridle giving way between Moor Hall and Heathen 

 Wood. In the second run from Down Hall, Sir Henry, with another horse, 

 came to the rescue of his huntsman, who was the wrong side of a locked 



* Mr. Ethelston's, 



