THK BLUE PETER I I 3 



On Saturday, Nov, 14th, an old Lincolnshire friend (Mr. Bertie Peake) 

 came to have a look at the Roothings of Essex ; the distance we rode to 

 covert seeming to impress him more tlian anything else. A little jog of 

 14 miles to the Hare and Hounds, Roxwell, having to be done that 

 particular morning — we arrived in time for a good 15 minutes from 

 the Osiers — and afterwards from Sparrow Hawks, had a capital run of 

 I hour and 40 minutes in the direction of Chelmsford, killing at Writtle, 

 where Mr. T. Usborne, M.P., did the hospitable. In this run, Mr. R. 

 Wood, who was riding "Bull's Eye," came to grief over a post and 

 rails. Home with Waters and McKee. It did not seem at all pro- 

 pitious for hunting when hounds met at White Roothing, for white 

 it looked, after three sharp rime frosts on Wednesday, Nov. i8th, so 

 unpropitious, indeed, that I merely started out for a ride about 10.30, 

 but as one jogged along it became apparent that the sun was rapidly getting 

 the better of it. Falling in with Mr. H. Sworder and J. Gingell, at High 

 Laver Hall, we went on together, arriving at White Roothing only to find 

 that hounds had gone on. We luckily hit them off coming straight towards 

 us in full cry, near Row Wood. Running through that covert and Man 

 Wood, they ran up to Beauchamp Roothing Church, coming back through 

 Man Wood and into Row Wood again. For some time they could not 

 force him out. At last, when he broke, he led us a dance up to Hatfield 

 town, and then ran fast to Down Hall. When changing, after some 

 2^ hours continuous hunting, they had to whip off. The country about 

 Row Wood was particularly blind, and few escaped downers — Messrs. 

 R. Wood, on "Bull's Eye,"i H. Philby, Tyndale White, H. Sworder, 

 F. Colvin and Longbourne coming under my special notice. The Con- 

 servative colours were flying at Netteswell on Saturday, Nov. 21st, signals 

 of the approaching election and the contemplated retirement of our much- 

 loved Master — Miss M. Caldecott and her father both wearing blue rosettes. 

 The country was swarming with foxes ; the second that went away from 

 Weir Hatches was pulled down just short of Moor Hall. 



" Barnsleys and Latton, it mattered not where, 

 For wherever we went the foxes were there I"' 



The Osiers at Passingford Bridge responded at the first call on Monday, 

 Nov. 23rd ; the fox, however, swimming the river (those Osier foxes were 

 quite amphibious) and leaving Curtis Mill Green on the right, led us over 

 a big country to Pyrgo. Unfortunately, coming back to Albyn's, two of 

 the best hounds, Felix and Gambler, were staked on the palings. The fox 

 going to ground near the Green, where a companion had taken refuge, they 

 were both bolted and killed. The day wound up with a very good 45 

 minutes from the Navestock coverts to Poles Church Wood, and to ground 

 at Blackn:iore Windmill ; the last fence into a road, a ditch full of water, 

 being plumbed by at least one sportsman. Colonel Lockwood, on his new 

 chestnut, was going very well, also Mr. R. Lockwood on " Bull's Eye," 

 Mr. Philby and Mr. C. Green. 



A very uninviting-looking morning, raining hard and blowing half a gale 

 when Meek drove over with me to the meet at Hatfield Heath, on Saturday, 

 November 2Sth. Few out, and most of them in mufti and flying the Blue 

 Peter, a sign of the approching election. Finding at once m Wall Wood 

 the fox went straight through it, but coming back led us in a perfectly 

 straight line for about 5 miles over Barrington Park up to Broomshaw 

 Bury in 40 minutes, when, changing, we ran back to the Forest by Canfield 



• N.B. — Note from Mr. R. Lockwood's Diary : " ' Bull's Eye ' don't like this 

 country — falls every day." 



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