1896] GOOD RUN FROM BENTLEY CAR. 225 



March 16th, when there were such a lot of falls. He is 

 quite right about the season being such a good one — the 

 best, he says, in thirty years' experience. The writer is pre- 

 pared to go one better, after a century's experience — from 

 written evidence — and to say that it is doubtful if there 

 has been a better in the whole history of the Meynell. 



Field, March 21st, 1896 :— 



THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. 



Monday, March 16th. Met at Darley Moor. A wild and stormy morning- 

 one of several consecutive days of old-fashioned March weather — did not improve 

 our prospects of sport, and, as we knew that foxes were none too plentiful in this 

 favourite district of the Meynell country, doubts were freely expressed as to where 

 we should find. 



On our first visit to Snelston this season a good litter of cubs was found, but 

 probably they shifted their quarters, as we have not since been so fortunate. 

 As usual, the Snelston coverts were first visited to-day, but Charles's efforts met 

 with no response. The Cubley coverts having been recently replanted, it was not 

 surprising to have a similar experience. Sudbury Coppice was next called upon. 

 Even in a covert of seventy-eight acres, foxes, at the end of this remarkably open 

 season, soon take a hint to move on, and to-day one got away at the bottom 

 end in a storm of wind and rain, with only one of the Meynell bitches in 

 attendance. No time was lost in getting the rest of the pack on the line, but 

 hounds were only able to carry it just short of Cubley village. The prospects 

 of getting a good gallop were now none too rosy, but still Sapperton remained to 

 retrieve the fortunes of the day, and this good covert (sacred to the memory of 

 Trevor Yates, who followed the pack for nearly fifty seasons, and at one 

 time knew every hound in the pack) has so often of late done good service, 

 that our hopes died away when, after careful drawing, it, too, answered in the 

 negative. However, the unexpected, which so often happens, came to our 

 rescue to-day, and hounds were no sooner thrown into Bentley Car than a fox 

 was immediately found. It was now a quarter-past four, and all but the keenest 

 followers had gone home ; the field did not number more than thirty all told, but 

 their patience was well rewarded. Again, one hound got a lengthy start, but was 

 overtaken by her comrades before any mischief was done, and the pack settled 

 beautifully together, taking tlie line up a stiff" ploughed field, and across the lane 

 leading from Alkmonton to Church Broughton, and on at a good pace throughout 

 the entire length of the narrow Alkmonton Bottom coverts, and, crossing the 

 Longford and Boylestone lane, we were now sailing over some of the very best 

 of our gi'ass country. The Dairy-house Spinny was passed on our left hand, 

 and here the well-known collie dog, which has more than once been mistaken for 

 a fox, was strongly in evidence ; he appeared to have had a turn with our fox, 

 and caused him to make a sudden movement to the right, but an equally sudden 

 left-handed turn brought us within two fields of Potter's Gorse, for many years the 

 pride of another good sporting tenant farmer, whose name it will always bear, though 

 he has long since joined the majority. Headed away from Potter's, he turned 

 up-wind, and now we were in for the cream of this good run ; the Boylestone lane 

 was crossed two fields from Bentley Brickyard, and then, for less than a minute, 



VOL. II. Q 



