EDWARD ASH BALI. 



79 



tlie way a heavy-weight negotiated it, for he cahiily walked his horse into 

 tlie ditch and scrambled over it, but his quad was too blown to attempt 

 the bullfinch until he fetched his wind, when he struggled over all right; the 

 rest preferred to follow Bailey where a gate-post stuck in the fence was the 

 only alternative. 



" Hounds were now running as eager as ever, and were not a field behind 

 their hunted fox when Bailey viewed him into Berners. Turning sharp to 

 the left, they gave us no breathing time as they raced for Screens. 

 ' Must have changed,' the huntsman muttered, ' the hunted fox could 

 never have got through so quickly in front of hounds.' He was right, 

 as the sequel will show, for although hounds ran straight through Screens, 

 and on over the Park, nearly up to Blackmore High Woods, they could 

 not account for him. It was then decided to go back and look for the 



Edward Ash Ball on Harcourt 



hunted fox. Viewed away from some rough grass near Berners, he was 

 too stiff, poor beggar, to stand up for many minutes, and soon yielded up his 

 brush. Every one voted it a capital day's sport, with the exception of the 

 too-late division, who never caught us, one hard riding sportsman, Mr. Ned 

 Ball, in his energetic endeavours to do so, getting two rattling falls." 



Edward Ash Ball on " Harcourt," a bay gelding by " Derby." 

 A good horse from a good country, for he was bred in Meath, 

 but not so Q-ood as his owner, who when 1 first knew him was 



