106 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1883 



down which a narrow stream winds into a deep ravine, then up the hill north- 

 ward, over plough and grass. Through another wooded* dell, and then skirting 

 the deep ridge— known as a hank in these parts — parallel with the Grank Trunk 

 Canal, swung round towards Tatenhill. The pace, fast enough at first, gradually 

 slackened to very slow hunting, and then died away altogether as they came 

 hack over plough towards Henhurst, Evidently it was a vixen before them, so 

 Leedliam gave up, and trotted off to try for a fresh fox. In Sir T. Mosley's 

 gorse, hounds found at once, and, almost before they could open, Mr. Chandos- 

 Pole viewed the rascal away. In vain did Leedham plead, " Hounds, gentlemen, 

 please. Let them get over the road ! " Knowing what Meynell bitches are 

 when, close to the brush of their fox, they settle down to race over grass, 

 impetuous pursuers would thrust forward, galloping and jumping wherever there 

 Avas room to get out of the throng. Thereby they got a merry scurry of five 

 minutes at the best pace, and spoilt all chance of a good run. The fox had 

 turned short left. The hounds, being over-ridden, flashed over the line, and, 

 with a scent so catchy, they could never get on again faster than a good trot. 

 Hunting slowly into and through Henhurst, they ran the same line as at first, 

 to within a field of Tatenhill bottom, and then all was over again. Thence we 

 drew by Mr. Michael Bass's, at Eangemore, away through all Needwood coverts, 

 back by the osier-beds at Kingstanding into the picturesquely wooded park of 

 Byrkley Lodge, and on to its farthest limits without finding another fox, though 

 the Master looked for them where the hounds could not draw, high up among 

 the forked boughs of those grand old oaks that might have sheltered many a 

 grey-bearded Druid or dark-eyed Celtic maiden. 



On Tuesday the fixture was Sudbury Coppice, close to the kennels. The 

 nearest way was across Lord Vernon's Park, where the gates are courteously 

 left open for an hour or more for those who care to avail themselves of the 

 privilege. Ample law was allowed, yet some late comers found themselves on 

 the wrong side of a locked barrier, just as hounds found in the coppice. By the 

 time they had discovered another exit, the field, in hot pursuit, were disappear- 

 ing in the dim distance. Away over fields of sticky stubble, across Oak Lane, 

 down to the meadows, some newly drained, and all having a boggy ditch on one 

 side or the other of the blind fences, they sped merrily up the next hill for 

 Cubley, and then swinging to the right, into Eaton Wood, In these thirty 

 minutes nearly a score of good men and true must have come to grief, and all 

 found the going heavj' enough. The hunted fox went straight through Eaton 

 AVood, and was viewed away by Jim on the far side. Hounds, however, 

 unluckily divided, and at last, coming together again, brought a fresh fox slowly 

 back by Somersal to Sudbury Coppice. Thence they went out on the western 

 side, across the bottoms, and ran a wide ring the reverse way, and over a 

 much better line of country, very fast, round by Cubley into the coppice once 

 more. For the last three or four fields Leedham could view his fox just ahead, 

 apparently dead beat. By this time half the horses showed unmistakable signs 

 of distress, and when hounds, breaking covert again, began to run once more 

 over the low-lying meadows towards Somersal, the ranks of pursuers were 

 considerably thinned. Probably this was another fresh fox, for, after taking his 

 pursuers up to Marston-Montgomery, he led them back towards Sudbury 

 Coppice a third time, and ran them clean out of scent before they got there. 

 The Meynell have had many straighter and better runs this season, but scarcely 

 a harder day for horses. From a quarter before twelve till nearly three they 

 had been constantly going, and most of the time at a good pace through deep 

 ground, up hill and down. Among the many out, besides Mr. Chandos-Pole, 



