30 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1879 



till the little spinny near Sir John Hardy's farm was drawn that the little red 

 rascal was fotuid. The first to catch sight of him was Lord Parker, and, like 

 mad, he galloped to give the good news to the huntsman, but the cheery 

 lialloa from Jim brought the hounds out almost before he got to him, and to see 

 them stream away towards the Allotment Farm looked as if some work was in 

 store for us, and the indififerently-mounted sportsman may well have thought 

 of Mr. F. Cotton's lines on the Meynell Hunt — 



" If you've only a hack, don't hunt with this pack, 

 Or get down you assuredly will." 



Past Kangemore he takes us, and for Yoxall Lodge Park. Here the scent 

 across the dusty fallows rather failed, but once in the Park they got on good 

 terms with him, and ran him fast, by the house, across the road, into the Braken- 

 hurst. Once in this big wood it is often a question when one will get out, but not 

 so to-day, and through it they take him and out on the Hoar Cross side. Here 

 Charles thought he had borne to the right, but Lord Berkeley Paget viewed two 

 or three couples of hounds in front, and his friendly halloa fortunately saved us a 

 lot of time. On they go again, very fast, across Hoar Cross Park, and from this 

 point the run varied from most (as generally the best part of the run is the first), 

 but the cream of this was the last twenty minutes, when we took him from Hoar 

 Cross Park by Cross Hayes and the Gullet's Farm to ground in a pit-hole at 

 Bromley Hurst. Names are better avoided, but without fear of offence, we may 

 say that a noble lord [Lord Berkeley Paget], the huntsmen, and two gentlemen, 

 one in red [E. J. Bird], and the other in black [J. Kempson], cut out the work, 

 and landed almost together over the Hoar Cross brook, which stopped so many, 

 while in close attendance was a noble lord and his lady [Lord and Lady Parker], 

 who has recently come into this country, a gallant colonel [Col. Levett], the 

 whip [Jim Tasker], and some seven or eight other well-known followers of these 

 hounds [Rev. A. H. Col vile, A. 0. Worthington, F. Newton, Gerald Hardy, S. 

 Troutbeck, Hon. W. Bagot, and C. C. Cumming]. This little contingent was all 

 that remained of the seventy or eighty at the start, to hear the who-whoop, to 

 congratulate Sir John Hardy on finding so good a fox, and to hope that Lord 

 Watei-park's second year of management would show as many more such gallops. 

 It was almost straight, seven to eight miles (probably a mile or a mile and a 

 half more as we ran), and lasted just forty-five minutes.* 



Needwood. 



Diary continued : — 



Tuesday, Brethy Mill. — Found in Repton Shrubs, ran a quick ring round, 

 across the Park, to ground in the covert by the training-ground. Carver's Rocks, 

 Smith's Gorse, and all the Calke coverts blank. Found in Gorstey Leys, ran 

 about for some time, but scent was bad, and we could do nothing. 



Thursday, Draycott Cliff. — Found in Bull's Park, ran into Bagot's Woods, 

 and were running about there all day. 



Saturday, Bagofs Woods. — Spent the whole day in the woods. 



Monday April 1th, Chartley. — Found in the Shaw, ran all about Chartley, 

 and marked him to ground in a pit on Blurton's farm. All Loxley blank. 



Tuesday, Kingston village. — Found in Kingston Wood, ran into Bagot's 



* The names in brackets have been filled in recently, and did not appear in 

 " Needwood's " account. 



