294 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



meet in time. Lady Rookwood and Lady Gilbey with her daughter Mrs. 

 Routledge, drove to the meet, while among the mounted throng I noted 

 the Masters of the Essex and Suffolk and the Essex Stag Hounds, Lord 

 Rookwood, our Secretary (Mr. R. Y. Bevan) and our late Secretary, Mr. 

 R. Lockwood ; Mr. Avila, Messrs. E. and F. Ball, Mrs. Bennett, Mr. W. 

 H. P. l>arnes, Mr. Basham, Mr. Benton, Mr. Baddeley, Mr. J. C. Borwick, 

 Mr. A. Bowlby, Mr. Ralph Bury, Capt. and Mrs. Bruce, Mr. Borrow, no 

 J-3uxtons ! the Misses Blyth (2), Mr. R. Caldwell, Messrs. Christy (2), Mr. E. 

 Caldecott, Major and Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carr, Messrs. Charrington (2), Mr. 

 and Mrs. Cockett, Mr. C. Chaffey-CoUin, Mr. and Mrs. Weston Crocker, 

 Rev. L. Capel-Cure, Mr. Capel-Cure, Miss Colvin, Mr. C. Doxat, Mr. G. 

 H. Dawson and Miss Maud Dawson, Mr. E. and Miss Docwra, Mr. 

 Foster, Mr. H. Fowler, Mr. Newman Gilbey, Miss Gilbey, Mr. Guy Gilbey, 

 Dr. Grubb, Mr. Green (Parndon) and brother, Mr. Goffe, Messrs. J. and 

 D. Gingell, Mr. Howard, Mr. George Hart, Mr. J. Harris, Mr. T. H. 

 Harrison, Mr. and Mrs. R. Hill, Mr. Horner and Son, Mr. G. Harris, Mr. 

 Heinemann, Mr. H. E. Jones, Miss Jones, Mr. Leatham, Mr. Littler, jun., 

 Mr. F. Loyd, Mr. G. Lobb, Mr. R. C. Lyall, Mr. B. Lines and Miss 

 Lines, Mr. H. J. Miller, and his two boys, Mrs. Mcintosh, Mr. Chisenhale 

 l\Iarsh, Mr. Meyer, Mr. W. Morris, Miss Morgan, Mrs. Neill, Mr. New, 

 Miss Oliver, Mr. Patchett, O.C, no Pellys ! Mr. and Mrs. Hine, Mr. H. 

 J. Price, Mr. Poole, Mr. E. Quare, Miss Ouare, Major Ricardo, Mr. 

 Simonds, Mr. H. Sworder, Mrr G. Sewell,'^Mr. R. Smith, Mr. A. R. 

 Steele and brother, Mr. A. Suart, Mr. and Mrs. Swire, Mr. G. Sheppard, 

 Rev. L. Scott, Mr. J. Todhunter, Mr. Tweed, Miss Tait, Mr. Usborne and 

 Son, Mr. Tyndale White, jun., Mr. Wombwell, Mr. Willis, while of others 

 on wheels the following names occur to me : Mr. and Mrs. W. Alger, Mrs. 

 Balloch, INIr. G. Brown, Mr. Lucking, Mrs. Patchett and her niece, Mrs. 

 Quare and party, Mr. Littler, sen., Mr. Glyn, Mrs. Rowland, Mrs. Ark- 

 wright, Mrs. N. Gilbey, Miss Gold, Dr. Druitt, Miss Wilson, Miss Green, 

 Miss Webster, Mr. A. Poole, Misses Young, Mr. and Mrs. Brumskill, Mrs. 

 Chalmers, Mr. Kirby, Miss Bambridge and Mr. J. Furze. 



Of the day's sport itself very little can be said : it certainly did not reach 

 the average of a Matching Green day — lack of scent rather than scarcity 

 of foxes readily accounting for this, for with the exception of Man Wood, 

 n'lnch K'as drawn blank for the first time for eleven years, all the other coverts. 

 Brick-kilns, Down Hall, and Matching Park, responded to the call made 

 upon them, the most lively item in the day's programme being with a cub 

 — forgive the word — from the last-named covert, who was killed close to 

 Matching Hall. There were numerous casualities during the day, one of 

 the most serious being caused by a second horseman, whose horse having 

 got out of his hands, cannoned into Mr. Borrow ; knocking him and his 

 mount all of a heap into a ditch, cutting his face badly. Several ladies 

 were thrown ; and if when hounds ran for three consecutive fields, loose 

 horses were at a discount, active young ploughboys were at a heavy 

 premium. 



The shades of night were fast falling ere we started for a ride home in 

 the dark, satisfied or dissatisfied mortals, entirely depending upon individual 

 temperament and circumstances. The Masters had no cause for dissatis- 

 faction that the opening day was over. The huntsman, in spite of a coat 

 which no renovator will ever restore to its pristine hue, was, I venture to 

 say, satisfied. Those who made their first acquaintance with Roothing 

 ditches were satisfied to have escaped such undesirable lodgings for the 

 night. Those, and they are not a few, who count Matching Green as one 



