3IO lp:aves from a hunting diary 



" On Friday, November 30lh, about fifty at Thaxted met the dozen who, with Bailey and 

 hounds, trained at Dunmow. Thaxted plantation was drawn blank, and we then rode a 

 bigg sh half circle to Avesey Wood, the Master wishing to get the field well to the further 

 side to prevent the fox breaking towards Bigods and the eastern coverts, but alas ! twenty 

 or so more knowing ones had made a short cut utterly preventing this arrangement, thereupon 

 it was wisely decided not to draw. So we trotted straight off to Lubberhedges, where we 

 found a brace, but could do very little. We again found at White House Springs, crossed 

 the road, passed Lerels Green, and through Hoxted Wood, where Bailey cast beyond and 

 hit the line off, but all in vain, and our fox was too far ahead. 



"We then drew Newpasted blank, which brought us to 2. 15, and our train left Dunmow at 

 4.40. (Here Macadam remarks that TRAIN is the bugbear of your Friday country, and will 

 always keep it select), but the Master gave the word FoxES Wood I from where we had our run, 

 a regular clinker. The fox luckily broke, pointing for White House Springs, and took a good 

 time through the Salings. Hounds up to this running best pace for fifteen minutes. We 

 then swung right-handed, which allowed four or five of us who had a baddish start to cut off a 

 big corner. Of these I noticed Messrs. H. W. Gil bey and H. E. Jones. The former did 

 us (as it happened) a good turn, as, viewing our fox, which was pointing for Lubberhedges, 

 he rode for all he was worth (I must own in front of hounds), halloaing them on. This 

 turned the fox left-handed fur a mile or so, and from here about five couples of hounds 

 practically coursed him for another ten minutes as hard as ever I saw hounds run, and not 

 a single check. 



"The fox was not done yet, as it took Bailey and hounds another thirty-five minutes' work 

 round and round covert before he gave up his brush. I noticed a delightful piece of hound 

 work in the early part of this run. The bitches running hard along the top of a ploughed field, 

 overshot the line ; but that good bitch Sonnet never left it by so much as an inch, and put us 

 straight without any loss of time." 



It formed quite the chief topic of conversation, I can assure you, at 

 White Roothing, where a very briUiant and very representative gathering 

 of the clans had assembled on Saturday, December ist — no more orderly 

 field in England than the Essex, none more anxious to obey a very popular 

 field-inaster. Witness the first two coverts drawn — Row Wood — everyone 

 at the bottom corner. The further wood, Gammas Hall Springs, drawn, 

 and huntsman and hounds well on their way to Poplars before the Master 

 turned back with his field to the road to overtake them. The next covert, 

 a sinall shaw near Poplars, the whole field drew up in the long, narrow 

 meadow that commands a view of both, but only the tops of the trees of the 

 former. Not a man moves from his place as hounds, huntsman, staff, 

 disappear over the rise of the seed field into the covert ; certainly, if you 

 don't like the rush for the ford, you have a good five minutes for selecting 

 your place in the fence. Several of us on the right could hear the music of 

 the hounds, the twang of the horn. 



Not a man moved from his place, but, brave as the Spartan boy who 

 allowed a fox to eat out his heart, waited for the Master to drop the flag. 

 It came at last, but not before the hitntsman had coine back and waved his 

 cap for us to come on. Like a pent-up flood vie burst the barriers ; those 

 on the headland who had slipped through the ford called out "'Ware 

 seeds! " while all rode desperately to catch hounds. Luckily not a yard of 

 scent at first, and with the sun on our backs we soon overtook them, and 

 held them in hand at a canter for the first fifteen minutes. 



We had to put on the steam a little more as we returned with the sun 

 in our eyes, and as we set out on the first ring we were going quite half 

 pressure, and horses were beginning to fall. A brute of a fence at the side 

 of a wood brought down the Master and a good many more, and those who 

 got over only did it by the skin of their teeth. I wouldn't have had a cut 

 at it for a fiver. Luckily hounds turned to the right in the wood, and a 

 couple of fences brought us out level with them as they were away in 

 the open saus masters, for Mr. Bowlby was down on his grey, and Mr. 

 Arkwright's horse was going the pace by himself. Thirty-five minutes, 

 and half pressure was increased to three-quarter, and the valves were 



