86 



Li:.wi:s iKoxi A inNTiNc 



Running^ past Symondson's (Upshire Hall) they entered the Forest near 

 Honey Lane, and hunting very prettily through, brought a capital spin to a 

 finish by running to ground near Theydon. (It was a lovely day to be out.) 

 Saturday, March ist, 1884 was, I may safely assert, a red-letter day for 

 the Essex Hounds. It began auspiciously. At the annual meeting, held at 

 the Green Man Inn, Harlow, previous to throwing off, Sir Henry Selwin 

 Ibbetson consented to retain the Mastership. Barnsley's, a snug little 

 covert l}ing close to the kennels, was reached about twelve o'clock, but a 

 fox away from Harlow Park, over the road to Latton, and to ground in 

 covert was the first incident ; the second took a little longer to enact. 

 Bailey must have had some hint of another fox being on the move, or he 

 would hardly have slipped away so quickly to the top end of Latton Park. 

 Quickly as we threaded our way through the crowd, we were not in time to 

 see him get away ; but he was, and, luckily for most of us, the hounds 

 did not settle at once ; when they did, they lost no time over the grass 

 enclosures up to the Harlow Road, which our friend did not cross ; his 

 point being in a very different direction. A momentary check in a large 

 wheat field, a lot of crowding and pushing at two gaps into a lane, and the 

 hounds were a couple of fields away, running well in the direction of Maries. 



Our fox, a bold one, probably relying on the tactics he had practised 

 with such success when he last led us over this line, disdained to go into 

 the covert, and crossed a muddy lane which runs up to Little Maries Farm. 

 Some cramped thorny fences came in quick succession, and over these Mr. 

 Roffey led the way. There was a slight check before reaching Mr. Arthur 

 Brown's farm : Mr. Brown is the right sort, for, though not a hunting man, 

 he never grumbles when the chase passes over his land. Hitting off the 

 line again, they crossed the Epping Green road and bore away over Mr. 

 Palmer's land towards Nasing Common. The gates were all locked on this 

 farm, but Charlie Littleworth, who had chosen a good day for coming to 

 have a look at his old friends the Essex, was handy, and whipped a gate off 

 its hinges, which let us through on to the common, where there was ample 

 scope for a good display of hard riding. Hounds turned to the right over 

 Nasing Common — an entirely new line, as Nasing Coppice has been the 

 usual point. It was a case of " bellows to mend " for a good many, and a 

 welcome check of two minutes to all when they reached the top of the Park. 

 Crossing the road near Nasing Church, we still ran over quite a fresh line 

 of country. Fortunately the fences were easy, and the large field charged 

 merrily and lustily at them. It was a lovely day, near the end of the 

 season, and " make the best of it " seemed the motto that each had adopted 

 for himself. Past the road near Tyler's Cross the fences began to grow 

 larger, just the sort for such thrusters as Messrs. E. R. Ball, Bevan, 

 Green, Barclay, Fowler, Colvin, Walmsley, Suart, Sworder, Jones, 6c 

 Co. ; but when an extra blind one wanted boring, Mr. F. Green was the 

 man called upon to do it. After one of this description we came down to a 

 brook at the bottom of a grass field, a most inviting jump. Not a mistake 

 was made by the first dozen, among whom Miss Scott, mounted on Mr. C. 

 Green's well-known cob, charged it as well as any, and went brilliantly to 

 the finish. Certainly she and Miss Glyn showed us how well ladies can 

 ride to hounds even in such a difficult country for their sex as Essex. 



Hounds had fairly settled down to their work, and ran well up to I\Ir. 

 Todhunter's. Crossed the road below his house, and leaving Brockle's 

 Farm on the right, they ran into a small spinney near the large Parndon 

 Woods, where our friend succeeded in disturbing another of his kind, 

 although it did not avail him, for he was viewed, dead-beat, doubling back ; 

 Bailey was on his track at once, and the hounds drove along as hard as 



