A DEAL IN THE HUNTING FIELD 215 



him, had placed on the day two farmers, John Parkes and Jack Perkins, 

 had been trying to cut him down. In Dick's own words, " I did the 

 changing so sly, be hanged if they knew," and the third horse had the 

 credit of having carried him all day. 



So many a deal has been made with advantage in the hunting- 

 field ; and I had never any cause to regret shifting the saddle from a good- 

 looking bay pony I then possessed to the back of a flea-bitten grey, " Dr. 

 Syntax," and giving his owner, Mr. Pyne, a small cheque for the difference. 

 On Wednesday, November 4th, we had two runs in the morning. ist, 

 from Nasing Coppice to a tree in Warlies Park, from which we failed to 

 dislodge our fox, and another from Galley Hills to Warlies Park and back 

 when a long trot to Tattle Bushes was decided upon and it was en route the 

 deal took place. Finding at Pinnacles, we had a most enjoyable run of an 

 hour and when the flea-bitten grey hopped over a V-shaped stile, about the 

 first fence he encountered, his owner confessed ever afterwards he was very 

 sorry he had parted with him, as it was a bit too much for the bay cob ; two 

 more stiff pieces of timber before the run was over, the last one near 

 Tattle Bushes. Mr. Arkwright's " Diana " hit it hard and Mr. George 

 Sewell on " Duchess" only just scraped over ; the style in which the grey 

 took it quite put me in love with him, and, although he was only a bag of 

 bones at the time, with careful feeding he put on flesh, and proved, if not 

 the best, the second best, horse I ever possessed. He could stay all night, 

 could gallop through dirt better than any horse I ever had and was a 

 perfect timber jumper, rarely putting me down ; he had only one fault ; he 

 was a puller, and a double rein snaffle, with martingale, the only bit you 

 could ride him in. Mr. Peel, of Cheshire fame, made his dehut with the 

 Essex Hounds in this run and went uncommonly straight, too. 



The Hatfield Broad Oak Saturday on November 14th was far above the 

 a\erage day's sport, commencing with a very fast ten minutes from Row 

 Wood in which, as hounds v/ere running towards the Forest, Mr. Frank 

 Ball, on " Harkaway," came to grief trying to follow Mr. Longbourne over 

 a very nasty fence. My next note is that I was riding with Vickery's patent 

 bars, and jumping a hurdle (I must have been sitting very loose) a leather 

 came out and let me down ; no more patent bars for me. That was in '91 ; 

 now in '99, having been hung up three times, I have taken to Weston's 

 patent and swear by them. Afterwards we had a clinking run from Barring- 

 ton Hall to Wilson Springs and to ground at Canfield Mount. Only those 

 lucky enough from the turn at Wilson Springs had a chance with them : I 

 was out of it and so was the Master, and I again took the wrong turn at 

 Row Wood with a rare good fox which we had brought from Poplars. As 

 hounds raced from Man Wood very few besides Mr. Arkwright, Mr. G. 

 Sewell and Jim saw anything of the latter part of it. 



W'ednesday, November i8th. The Kennels. Previous to throwing off, a 

 meeting of the Hunt Club was held, and George Sewell was elected a 

 member. It was a very misty day, but as it turned out a right good scent- 

 ing one ; we found at once in Mark Hall, and ran fast to Vicarage Wood and 

 slowly back by Bay's Grove and Harlow Common to Latton. Going away 

 from there, we rattled along at a good pace to Maries Wood, some rails en 

 route near Rickett's proving irresistible to Messrs. Longbourne, G. Sewell 

 and a few others. Crossing the road, we turned into Mr. Crane's field, and, 

 riding straight at some rails out of it alongside Mr. E. Barclay, we nearly 

 came to grief, for we jumped on to a regular cart road with quite a raised 

 bank on the other side. " Dr. Syntax " recovered himself most cleverly, but 

 Mr. Barclay came a rare crumpler without being hurt. Away over the 

 grass and into the Epping Church road near Kemsley's hay stacks, hounds 



