190 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1893 



23rd to January 23rd. Some one was writing in the 

 papers about the Meynell just then, for the following 

 occurs : " Sport immediately after the frost was of the 

 poorest description, and to make matters worse, foxes liave 

 been chopped day after day in coverts where they can ill 

 be spared ; and this, in most cases, without any one being 

 to blame in the least so far as heading them is concerned. 

 The first day the hounds managed to hunt was at Marston 

 Montgomery, on January 23rd. It is close upon a three- 

 miles' trot to Hope Wood, but report had it that foxes 

 were fairly plentiful, and so it was fully expected that we 

 should find at least one fox. But it was not to be, and, 

 with Marston Park and Sedsall Rough following suit, the 

 day's disappointment began, to be quickly followed by a 

 fox from Eaton Wood being chopped at once, and with 

 a similar accident in one of the Doveridge coverts, our cup 

 w^as fairly full. Still, we had great hopes of an afternoon 

 gallop from Sudbury, but when these good coverts and 

 Sapperton — tried as a last resource — had all failed, there 

 was nothing for it but to go home, and try to forget the 

 day's work as soon as possible." 



The spirit which animates this account was abroad 

 throughout the Hunt. Rightly or wrongly, there was a 

 feeling that matters were at a low ebb. Before the frost 

 all was well, but (it seems ridiculous to say so) a month's 

 frost had effaced all recollection of the good sport in the 

 early part of the season. So is it on any day's hunting. 

 Given a good run in the morning and a dragging after- 

 noon, every one goes home dispirited, but reverse the 

 medal, and how difierent are our sensations. 



January 30th encouraged the despondency of the 

 malcontents, and well it might, for this was the tale. The 

 meet was at Brailsford Bridge. Some one was said to have 

 viewed a fox in Shirley Park, otherwise the whole country 

 from Brailsford to the kennels was drawn blank. The 

 coverts drawn were Ednaston, Bradley Bottoms and 

 Rough, Shirley Park, Longford Car, and Reeve's Moor, 

 Potter's, Bentley Car, Sapperton, and Sudbury ! 



