230 LEAVES FROM A TIUNTING DIARY 



Wednesday, October 19th, Coopersale. A large muster, including the 

 High Sheriff, who came up smiling after his previous day's defeat at the poll 

 by Chilton. Miss Burns and all the Miss Buxtons, the Olivers, Caldwells, 

 Mr. and Mrs. W. Sewell, Messrs. Elder, Jones, Pelly, G. Sewell and many 

 more. We had a nice morning's sport, including a capital spin from Shales- 

 more to the Beachetts and back to Shalesmore. Did not kill. The Mate 

 riding his young horse, which carried him very well. 



Matching Green of 1892 will probably be remembered as one of the 

 foggiest on record. Mr. Usborne told me that he had not missed a 

 Matching Green since 1867, and could not recall such a day — and twenty- 

 five years is a fair period of time to look back upon. I cannot tell you half 

 the names of those who, through duty, curiosity, or pleasure, ticked off 

 another Matching Green to their credit. I fancy duty had a fair following, 

 for a good many had deferred the dangers of the chase until the last 

 moment, and had given the leaves every chance of coming off before putting 

 in an appearance. Curiosity, however, accounted for a lot, especially 

 carriage folk ; and pleasure had, as usual, by far the largest share of 

 votaries. Let me give a hundred names of those whom the above motives 

 had brought together, viz., the Committee of Management, Mr. C. E. 

 Green, Mr. Loftus Arkwright, and Mr, Tyndale White (the first two in the 

 huntsman's cap) ; Lady Brooke, Lord and Lady Rookwood, Col. Lock- 

 wood, M.P., Mr. Robert Lockwood, the High Sheriff, Mrs. C. E. Green, 

 Mrs. Tyndale White, the Misses M. E. and O. M. Yerburgh, Mrs. Ward 

 Saunders, the Rev. A. and Mrs. Roberts, General Marter and Miss E. 

 Marter, Col. Clay, General Hodding, Messrs. Gilbey (3), Messrs. W. 

 Buckmaster and Dewhurst (fresh from Trinity College), Miss Burns, the 

 Rev. F. A. S. Fane, Mr. C. Arkwright, Mr. 'G. Hart and son, Mrs. and 

 Miss G. Waters, Mr. R. Hill, Mr. McEvans, Mr. E. Pelly, Mrs. L. Pelly, 

 Miss Sewell, Messrs. G. W. and A. Sewell, Miss Glyn, Mr. Elder, Mr. 

 H. E. Jones, Miss Jones, Mr. Bowen, Capt. Nelson, Mr. H. R. Bagot, 

 Mr. P. Hargreaves, Mrs. Bullock, Messrs. Lobb (2), Mr. T. Quare and 

 daughter, Mr. T. R. Hull, Mr. A. Suart, Mr. and Mrs. Pyne, Mr. H. J. 

 Miller, Mr. H. Sworder, Mr. F. Stallibrass, Mr. Usborne, Mr. Patchett, 

 Miss Tait, Captain Meyer and party, Mr. J. Sands, Mr. W. H. P. Barnes, 

 Mr. J. Harris, Messrs. Ball (2), Messrs. Caldwell (3), Mr. Christy, Mr. and 

 Mrs. Weston Crocker, the Rev. L. Capel-Cure, Miss Capel-Cure, Mr. C. 

 Collin, I\Ir. G. H. Lee, Mrs. Mcintosh, Miss Morgan, Mr. and Miss Oliver, 

 Mr. Price, Mr. J. E. Tabor, Mr. J. Todhunter, Mrs. Osgood Hanbury, Mr. 

 Howard, Mr. Westall, Mr. Willis, Mrs. Bennett, Mr. P. J. Lee, ^Ir. F. E. 

 Loyd. 



Here we have names enough to furnish material for a dozen narratives, 

 and I have only one to relate. The executive were not to be baffled by fog, 

 and about 11.45 hounds were thrown into Man Wood. Never did hounds 

 getaway so quickly, never were a crowd more hopelessly left in the lurch, 

 as when they slipped away over the muddy lane which flanks Man Wood, 

 towards Down Hall, and the twang of Bailey's horn rang shrilly through 

 the fog ; not more than a dozen were with them and only two pink coats — 

 Mr. S. Caldwell and Mr. R. Lockwood — and the rest were chiefly farmers, 

 including Mr. Howard, Mr. Willis, jun., and Mr. Hart, who had an eye to 

 what was going on instead of coffee-housing. After reaching the Down 

 Hall road, hounds, luckily for most, turned back to Man Wood, and coming 

 to a check near the brook, let the field up ; but there was plenty of room 

 for hounds to work as they ran on through the fog-encircled fields, back to 

 Man Wood. Mr. Jones's pink, flashing like a meteor through the dripping 

 fences, was an excellent mark to ride to. 



