TIIK END OF THE SEASON 12^9 



but — hang it ! — was over, scarcely displacing a twig. Luckily the next 

 comer, a bay, made a hole big enough to sink a decent sized ship and let 

 us through safely. Crossing a lane near the Osiers, hounds checked on a 

 plough, and a lot of people driving on the Waltham Road with commen- 

 dable judgment stood still while Bailey made his cast over it. They were 

 on again, and coming down to the Cobbin's brook ran its margin for a 

 couple of fields, crossed and raced into their fox in the boundary fence of 

 Warlies Park, seventeen minutes on the grass, " with only that one little 

 check upon the plough boys." 



Deer Park was another moral, but a fox away from it in the direction 

 you wanted him was quite another thing. We were in luck, however, for he 

 broke over the lane near Mr. Carr's and crossed into Shatter Bushes, and 

 taking very much the same line as our first fox, brought us to Nasing 

 Coppice at a clipping pace. But he had no friend there to help him, and, 

 scarcely believing it could be true, hounds were out, that grand young 

 hound " Banker " leading, and racing over the grass, the very same line, no 

 doubt the very same fox, we ran on April 3. 



The pace was a cracker, Bailey, Messrs. Hargreaves, R. Ball, and 

 Capt. White were going in front, not a fall or refusal, and in the same order 

 crossed the road which divides Ball Hill and runs up to Parvell's Farm. 



" Bellman," that good hound, staunch and true, had the lead out of 

 Ball Hill. Leaving Sprait's Hedgerow on the left, and Copped Hall on 

 the right, they lead us very fast over this good scenting country, through 

 the wood near New Farm and up the hill to the Forest, entering it at its 

 nearest point to Epping ; they skimmed along the Theydon side, leaving 

 us all in the lurch. 



The field galloped blindly, frantically down the hill through Theydon 

 Bois. Turning to the right, up the Forest road, and reaching the outskirts 

 of Theydon village, we heard that hounds had streamed past like a rocket 

 five minutes to the good. Some of us, including Chisenhale Marsh rode 

 on, staking all on hounds having gone to Loughton Shaws, but the further 

 we rode the further we were left behind. Others more fortunate, with 

 Bailey, hit off a ride to the right, which led straight up to the gorse near 

 Luffman's, Golding's Hill, where they caught a glimpse of hounds running 

 towards the Robin Hood. Getting up to them, the hunted fox was viewed 

 over the road just in front of hounds, a fresh fox crossing at the same time, 

 and going the same line, hounds got on the fresh one's track, but he had 

 not stood up for an hour or more in front of hounds ; a cool jacket and 

 the bad scenting ground of the Forest baffled hounds, and scent died away. 

 Near the Wake Arms Bailey reluctantly had to relinquish the joy of 

 adding another scalp to his saddle bow and the long list of trophies which 

 have made this season so famous. ■ Ninety-four times have hounds been out, 

 27^ brace have they killed, and 17 brace run to ground. 



