52 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



on Saturday, November 22, after meeting at Waples Mill on 

 a very frosty and windy day. Finding at Leaden, they ran to 

 Park Wood, completing- a slow hunting run and a big ring in 

 I hour and 40 minutes. Finding again at Garnett's. the fox 

 made straight for Old Park, turned to the left by Beachetts and 

 Harveys, to ground at Olive's Farm near Dunmow, the last 

 thirty minutes of the run being very fast. The Colonel* 

 having got a very bad start was able to obtain a good bird's- 

 eye view of the proceedings, and notes that his brother, on 

 "Comical," and Howardf had about the best of it. Hervey 

 Foster was well to the front on " Acrobat," until he lost his 

 hat and most of his bridle at a brook. Mr. Deacon went well 

 at first, but came down a mucker at the same stream. Walms- 

 ley also came to grief, and staked his horse. Mr. Usborne 

 came on his back heavily, following the Colonel on the grey. 

 Miss Caton went well, in spite of a bad start. Dobson, on 

 " Speculation," was never headed for long. Messrs. Francis 

 Grubbe, Chetwode, Ridley, Petre, Walmsley freres and some 

 farmers went well. P.S. — F. Astley and Mr. Price also quitted 

 the plate. 



Over-reaching his horse, " Luckpenny," badly at a Nasing 

 Common meet on November 24, the Colonel was fortunate 

 enough to be mounted by Mr. Arkwright on the " Shah," 

 Allen's second horse, which appears to have been soon pumped.^ 

 Hervey Foster, riding " Lady Godiva," was going well, while 

 among those out the following names occur : — Messrs. Foster, 

 Crocker, Odell, Howard, Bury, Sir C. Smith and Sir Fowell 

 Buxton. And to share a bad day's sport in the Norton Heath 

 country, on Wednesday, November 26, came Mr. and the two 

 Miss Pryors, Mrs. Arkwright, Messrs. Foster, Howard, 

 Chetwode, Westhorpe (on a new horse, " Royal Horn," by 

 " Trumpeter"), Royds, and Cunliffe. A brace of foxes in 

 Mr. F'ane's coverts on P>iday, November 28. Through the 

 Menagerie and up to Stanford Rivers Hall was sufficiently far 

 and fast to bring out the riding qualities of Messrs. Brace and 

 Hervey Foster, the latter on " Acrobat," and to land a gentle- 

 man on a roan horse in a fearful ditch, over which Miss Caton 

 had flown like a bird. 



From Lancaster Springs, near Down Hall, on Saturday, 

 December 6, a lovely hunting day, they had a clinking good 



* He had not, of course, attained that rank then, but we all know him 

 in our part of Essex by that title now. — Ed. 

 t Colonel S. Howard. 

 X The Colonel did not spare them much in those days. — Ed. 



