38 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



lifting two convenient gates off their hinges to let us through. The chase 

 now bore towards Loughton Rectory, when a false alarm of " 'ware wire " 

 was raised. The fence, an insignificant one, supposed to contain it, was too 

 much, however, for a mouse-coloured pony, and brought him and his rider 

 well on to their heads. Leaving Loughton Rectory on the left, and 

 crossing the road, scent began to fail ; hounds hunted slowly towards 

 Goldings, before reaching which a trappy double presented itself, and was 

 productive of grief to nearly all who tried it ; one man, I am told, had the 

 misfortune to break his horse's leg. Hounds were baffled as usual when 

 tliey got in the Forest. Bailey made a cast round Colonel Howard's house, 

 thinking the fox might have got into some drain, but not a trace of him 

 could be found. Time, about 40 minutes. Two hundred odd up, all of 

 whom seemed to have enjoyed their gallop. In preceding years the last 

 day of the season has generally commenced at Col. Howard's, who this 

 year was in India, but apparently the hounds could not let the day pass 

 without paying a visit to the place where they have formerly been so well 

 entertained. The whole length of the Forest from here to Epping (four 

 miles) was drawn without result, also the lower Forest, the Ongar side of 

 Epping, where a fox managed to give hounds the slip, being viewed away 

 after they had gone to Gaynes Park and Ongar Park Wood, from which 

 so many good runs have taken place this season. To-day they were 

 tenantless— a matter of no surprise at this time of year. 



With Sir H. Selwin Ibbetson holding the reins of office, Bailey acting as 

 his huntsman, Firr, Littleworth, and Crawley as whips (I hope the rumour 

 of Littleworth's leaving is not true), the prospects of sport for the next 

 season are very good. I therefore cannot conclude better than by quoting 

 " Brooksby's " advice, that sportsmen had better see to the early con- 

 ditioning of their horses, as cubs will be unusually forward next October. 



September 9th. — Ned Ball will probably have forgotten, until he sees 

 this note, that at the raising of the curtain of the season 1882 he and his 

 brother Bob had to start from my house at 3.15 to be in time for the first 

 act at 5 a.m. at Down Hall. A good show of cubs, a brace to hand and 

 a fair number of people out, completes the entry in the journal. 



A fortnight later at Brick Kilns still, 5 a.m. Who now remembers 

 that terrier, smoke and water, failed to evict a cub which went to ground 

 opposite Captain Meyer's house? And Dawson I'll wager it has slipped 

 your memory that on Monday, October 2nd, you started with me at 4.15 

 a.m. to a six o'clock meet at Row Wood, that we followed not the old 

 fox from thence, but gave some cubs from Poplars a merry hustling, 

 killing a venturesome member who came away to Row Wood. And Bailey 

 coming down at the first fence would be puzzled now to tell who caught his 

 horse. 



How many times have we met at Epping Bury at 6.30 a.m. for cub 

 hunting since that memorable Saturday morning, October 7th, 1882, when 

 Mr. Trimmer, the " Austrahan," made his first essay in the hunting fields 

 of England and all but cut down and hung up to dry a large contingent 

 of men to the manner born, and men who knew a trick or two about 

 fox hunting, eh ! and cub hunting too, in leafy October. 



How many times has such a litter of cubs been found in Orange Wood 

 as were routed from its inmost recesses on that occasion — one, two, three, 

 out they came, but not until number four was stealing away down the 

 hill over the fallow, towards the boundary fence did Bailey blow his horn. 

 The hedge had been cut, the fence trimmed, through which the sound of 

 hounds running could be heard, if only a glimpse of their fast vanishing 

 forms could be seen. 



