FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 39 



and I engaged Charles Travess from the Worces- 

 tershire to come to me as K.H. and first whip, 

 and I began my second season, 1872-73, 

 with him, and with Will Shepherd as second 

 whip (I think he is now huntsman in Worcester- 

 shire). We began well, and had a good time 

 cub-hunting; but, on the 29th of November 

 I got a bad fall. I was riding a bay mare 

 called Gift (which I bought from Lord 

 Coventry) in a sharp gallop over the hills : she 

 caught the top of a wall, and gave me a smashing 

 fall. I expect she was a bit blown at the time ; 

 anyhow, I broke the point of my right shoulder, 

 and was laid up for many weeks in London, 

 attended by Mr. A. Cooper (now Sir Alfred). 

 I got back to the hounds again after a time, but 

 was a good deal knocked about, and never quite 

 sound for the rest of the season. 



I also had an invitation day in the V. W. H. 

 country on the ist of April. Met at Eastcourt; 

 a very large field there, and a scorching hot day. 

 Found three foxes in Braydon Pond, but could do 

 nothing with them. Lunch at Eastcourt House, 

 and waited about till it got a bit cooler. In the 

 afternoon we found in Oaksey Wood, and had a 

 capital forty minutes to Cuckerdown and Kemble 

 Wood and back to Oaksey. There for a time 

 the hunt came to an end, and the fox seemed 



