OVER THE SAW PIT 



115 



Hart, got on to another, and chopped him after running i hour and 20 

 minutes. 



From Takeley Street Coppice to the Hart, Bullock's Wood, and over 

 the line into Dunmow High Woods, we followed a traveller and pulled 

 him down in the open within a mile of Blue Gates, at 4 p.m. Home with 

 Meek by Four Ashes, a good 20 minutes' hack. Quite a blue-letter day, 

 Pleshey, Dec. 5th, when the enthusiastic labourers unhorsed Sir Henry's 

 carriage and dragged the most popular Member in Essex to the meet. Two 

 runs of an hour each — the first from Israel's, the second from Boyton 

 Springs — leaving off near Bush Wood, fitly marking the approaching close 

 of Sir Henry's triumphant reign as M.F.H. Home with Ball^ by Willingale. 



Monday, December 7th, Myless Lodge. A perfect hunting day for 

 Essex, a dull grey sky and easterly wind. Found at once in Courtfield 

 W^ood, crossed the road and tore down the hill to the brook at the bottom, 

 R. Wood, Bailey and Wesley in single file over the next two or three 

 fences. Rising the hill they jumped into the road out of a kitchen garden 

 straight on, hounds going very fast ; a satv pit was taken without warning, 

 another steep drop into a lane, and hounds bore sharp to the left, running on 

 at a great pace over Jericho Park, where Mr. R. Lockwood on " Friar " 

 came to grief. Crossing a narrow lane without checking over a very 

 cramped country, reached Horsfrith Park in 55 minutes. From the 

 Menagerie to Curtis Mill Green, the fox swimming the river, brought 

 a very good day to a close. A sharp frost setting in in the evening, skating 

 was in full swing on Chingford Lake on Saturday, Dec. 12th, and in less than 

 forty-eight hours the Essex Hounds were running a fox from Galley Hills 

 to Barbers, having brought him by Spratts Hedgerow very fast through 

 the Forest by Theydon Villas, where unluckily the huntsman got separated 

 ixova the hounds. Slow hunting marked the rest of the run by Gardiner's 

 Farm and Coopersale Hall up to Barber's, and a burst of 15 minutes, a 

 ring from Orange Wood finishing off near Wintry Wood, the finish of the 

 day. 



Another breakfast at Down Hall on Saturday, December igth, Sir 

 Henry and Lady Selwin Ibbetson giving a hearty welcome to all comers, 

 numerous as they were. The following names occur : — -Colonel Lock- 

 wood, Sir T, Fowell Buxton, the Revs. F. A. S. Fane, S. Slocock, and L. 

 Capel-Cure with Miss Cure, and Rev. P. H. Powell, Mr. and Mrs. Follett, 

 Mr. R. Bevan, Mr. Glyn, junr., Mrs. and the Misses Glyn, Mr. A. and 

 the Misses Caldecott, Mr. and Mrs. A. and the Misses Deacon, Mrs. J. D. 

 and the Misses Hill, Mr. J. Todhunter, Mr. S. Chisenhale-Marsh, Miss 

 Chisenhale-Marsh, Major and Mrs. Tait, Major and the Misses Tower, Mr. 

 and Mrs. L. W. Arkwright, Mr. L. J. W. Arkwright, Mr. C. E. Green, 

 Messrs. Charrington (2), Messrs. C. and J. Pelly, Mr. C. J. Bury, Mr. 

 A. Capel-Cure, Mr. A. Suart, Mr. and Mrs. Bowlby, Mr. and Mrs. Waters, 

 Mr. and Mrs. Walmsley, Mr. Roffey, Mr. A. K. Wyllie, Mr. Ball, Mr. H. 

 Stevenson, Mr. Marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Keppel, Mr. and Mrs. Harris, 

 Mr. W. and the Misses Harris, and Messrs. G. Poole, T. Howard, 

 H. Rumney, Sidney Clements, T. W. Rowland, G. Hart, J. Ross, J. J. 

 Green, G. Willis and Son, H. Hine, H. J. Lines, L Kirkby, W. Kirkby, 

 W. Smith (Bishop Stortford), F. G. Unwin, W. Bambridge, P. Tibbies, 

 W. Milbank, F. Milbank (Garnish Hall), T. J. Mills, S. Neave, Meek, 

 H. Sworder (Tawney Hall), J. Wilson (Enfield), Arnold W. Poole, junr., 



'Mr. Ned Ball flatters himself that leaving off anywhere in the Roothings 

 within 20 miles of home, he can give the short cut of any road map, a stone and a 

 beating. — Ed, 



