THE BRADLEY WOOD FOX. 27 



ran the top of a hedge, and Mr. Meynell had five couples 

 of hounds posted at that point. He accordingly went 

 away the next time straight for the Peak of Derbyshire, 

 and was lost near Hopton. Mr. Meynell had gone home 

 early, and, as Kaven brought the hounds back to the 

 kennel about four o'clock, he opened his dressing-room 

 window, and ordered him to throw them into Bradley 

 Wood once more, as he had just seen the hunted fox steal 

 back." As to " the country people's story about a fox 

 crossing the road before the hearse, as they brought him 

 from London," he didn't believe a word of it. But this 

 he did know, that " Mr. Meynell never killed a fox 

 unhandsome, only that once." 



In his second ramble the " Druid " again brings us a 

 step nearer our own time. Discoursing pleasantly as he 

 always does, in his inimitable style, of Mr. Meynell 

 Ingram's hounds, grandson of the Mr. Meynell mentioned 

 above, " Mr. Heron," he tells us, " was always very fond 

 of Mr. Meynell's hounds, and it was through him that Mr. 

 Meynell Ingram got a good deal of his grandfather's blood " 

 (of which Lord Vernon had so much at Sudbury) " back to 

 Hoar Cross. . . . When he succeeded to the Hoar Cross 

 country, with old Leedham as huntsman, Fallacy of the 

 Cheshire Bluecap and Nelly of the Meynell Stormer 

 blood were given to him by Mr. Heron, but both of them 

 were so ill with distemper that they were hardly fit to 

 bring. He lost Fallacy out cub-hunting on Needwood 

 Forest Banks ; and she went home again, and entered so 

 well, that Mr. Heron felt it much more of a duty than a 

 pleasure to write and inform his friend of her return. 

 Nathan,* who had become a very popular stallion, was by 

 Pytchley Abelard from Nelly, one of whose daughters, 

 Nightshade, had a great litter by Belvoir Easselas, which 

 produced three good stallion hounds, Rummager, Reveller, 

 and Roman, all black tan. Reveller was a very clever 

 hound, but unfortunately got poisoned, and Mr. Meynell 



* The " Dniid" makes a slight mistake here. Nathan was by Bertram, who was 

 by Pytchley Abelard. 



