2=^0 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



about 12.30, and a screaming scent in covert. The fox broke at the south 

 side, but by the time you had dived down the middle ride, he was back, 

 with the chattering ladies at his brush. Some said he was a big fox, but I 

 didn't think so, although I agreed with Bailey that he would have to look 

 sharp if he wished to escape that day. Crossing the road near the Sun 

 and Whalebone, they ran him through Latton Park into Rundell's Grove. 

 The Master held the field in check for a minute; then, when the welcome 

 " Forward away '" was heard, there was a rare gallop for a start over the 

 big grass fields. Leaving Rundell's on the left, they crossed by Mr. 

 Satch's farm, and turning out of the lane, ran at a great pace up wind 

 towards the Lower Forest, coming to their first check at Mr. Boram's — a 

 two-and-a-half mile point. 



Over the Harlow road, and turning off at right angles from the course 

 we had been coming, plough was exchanged for grass, but the pace was as 

 good as ever — little" chance of catching hounds again if your horse refused ; 

 none whatever if you got a fall ; and one riderless horse at least was going 

 the line on his own account. A mometary falter on a bit of wheat, and then 

 over a big seed field — part of the course over which the Master steered 

 " Diana " to victory in the point-to-point of two years ago. Mr. Symes 

 would forgive us, I know, for hounds were going a cracker. Into his long 

 meadow, and then over Knockers, we crossed the Epping road just below 

 the Lindsey-street cottages. Hounds ran steadily over these meadows of 

 Mr. G. Pegrum's up to the Bury-lane. Unluckily, there was wire in 

 several fences, and a strand between two trees brought one of our most 

 popular riders to grief, cruelly cutting his favourite mare,- and ripping his 

 mackintosh and saddle to pieces. Messrs. Jones and Bevan managed to 

 escape it all, and, striking into the lane with hounds where they crossed, 

 got away on good terms with them ; turning over the Epping Bury road 

 they ran straight for the Warren. 



Again, the greatest caution had to be used, for there was wire in nearly 

 every fence. How one sighed for the good old days of ten years ago, when 

 there was not a yard of wire on the Copped Hall Estate.f Major Carter 

 jumped a strand without knowing it, and found himself like a rat in a trap, 

 wired in all round. Just before reaching the Warren, we had to jump into 

 the road. Thank you, Mr. Jennings, for having that strand taken down, 

 or we should all have been shut off from hounds, who were racing through 

 the Forest. It was so wet that there was actually a scent — another three- 

 and-a-half mile point as the crow flies from Mr. Boram's ; and the time 

 from the find — thirty-five minutes — I took it carefully — will give an idea of 

 the pace. Another straight line of two miles, and they marked this good 

 fox to ground, in the big earths at Luffman's — fifty-minutes from the 

 start. 



Monday, January ist, 1894. — Dagenham. It looked any odds against 

 hunting the night before, and the roads were hard and slippery going to the 

 meet. W'e found a fox, however, at once at Dagenham, and ran at a great 

 pace very straight to Havering, where we lost him, came back to Mrs. 

 Mackintosh's and in the gorse found the fox that on two previous occa- 

 sions had given us such capital sport. Running to Dagenham and South 

 Weald and making several rings, he tried to regain the sanctuary of 

 Havering, but running from scent to view, hounds pulled him down in the 

 open — a rare good run of one hour and twenty minutes. Mr. C. E. Green 



• Mr. G. .Sewell's "Duchess." 



t Mr. E. J. Wythes has had all the wire reniuved off his estate since he came to reside 

 at Copped Hall.— Ed. 



