FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 69 



there could be any hunting at all that day, and I 

 stopped the hounds going on ; but about twelve 

 o'clock there was a bit of a change and I got to the 

 meet at 1.30, and found nearly everybody had 

 gone home except half a dozen, one of whom was 

 Sir Claude de Crespigny. The snow was going 

 fast and I was persuaded to draw, so we trotted 

 down to Mr. Morant's coverts at Brockenhurst 

 Park, where, to my surprise, we found directly 

 and raced away to Boldre ; then by Stockley, 

 Frame, Pigbush, and back through the big 

 Enclosures at Woodfidley and Denny, running 

 the rides the whole way, and caught him close to 

 Denny Lodge, about fifty-five minutes ; such a 

 scent, and they ran as if they were tied to him for 

 the whole way. I never saw anything so fast 

 before or since. Sir Claude and I were the only 

 two at the finish, and he helped me to get the 

 hounds back to the kennels, for both the whippers- 

 in were lost, and so was everybody else. 



Although this was far the best thing of the 

 season, I had some regret about what happened, 

 for I felt that if in spite of the snow I had gone 

 to the meet an hour sooner (as I ought to have 

 done) probably most of my field would have 

 shared the sport. Soon afterwards we had 

 another good day in the same part of the country, 

 and the following account appeared in Land 



