264 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1898 



how to do the' trick by jumping a slip stile in front of his rider [Captain Dugdale], 

 who had dismounted, and who walked through after his steed. Bonner eventually- 

 cast forward, and three couples of hounds hit it off to the left, and with a little 

 help the pack hunted on to within a mile of Muggiuton. After this the line 

 twisted and turned in the most erratic fashion until scent utterly failed, and so 

 brought an enjoyable hunt to an end. At times hounds ran very fast, but never 

 for long at a time. Reeve's Moor was next drawn, and, of course, not iu vain. 

 They could make but little of this fox, but one went away from Longford Car, 

 and they hunted him with an indifferent scent to Alkmonton, where he was 

 headed by the blacksmith's shop, and went back to the Car. Here, after 

 about an hour's work, he was brought to band. 



Tuesday, Newton village. This was an ideal hunthig morning, still and warm, 

 without sun, and for once appearances were not deceptive. The order was given 

 to draw Coley Giorse, and every one was in high hopes of repeating the two 

 excellent runs of last year from this covert. Hounds were no sooner thrown into 

 the gorse than there was a challenge, succeeded by " A cry more nobly full and 

 swelled by every throat," as Somerville has it. Like a storm they drove through 

 the wood beyond, and, settling to the line, away they went, heads up and sterns 

 down, over the open pointing for Wolseley. If the pack did not tail, their 

 pursuers did. In fact, never was a field of horsemen more fairly choked by the 

 pace, and there were but five or six men with them as they came flying down to 

 " that stream of historic disaster," the Morton brook. At Blithfield Gorse there 

 was a long check, which practically brought this brilliant scurry of tAvelve 

 minutes to an end, and they eventually marked him to ground in a pit-hole hard 

 by. The next fox was found in the gardens at Blithfield, only to be chopped the 

 moment he was on his legs. A third fox was soon on foot in Blithe Moor, and 

 they ran him at a cracking pace towards Colton to ground in a few minutes. It 

 was hard on hounds running to ground twice with such a scent. A fourth fox 

 was found in the same covert last drawn, and they ran him very fast towards 

 Stansley Wood, turned right-handed to Duckley Plantation. Hence they forced 

 him out across the Uttoxeter and Hugely road and checked, but the fox was 

 seen stealing up a hedgerow to the left of where they checked, and the Master 

 soon had the hounds on his line. From this point they ran nicely up to a pit-hole 

 near Forge Coppice, where they were at fault, but a useful halloa forward put 

 matters right, and they ran merrily up the coppice and out at the Bromley end. 

 Every one began to think we were on the line of our Brakenhurst friend of 

 Saturday, and things looked well for repeating a gallop over that excellent country 

 with a far better scent. But it was not to be. The hounds checked a few fields 

 farther on, and the huntsman made a left-handed cast back. Hearing a halloa 

 in the same direction, he went to it, and the hounds ran back to Duckley Wood, 

 where they caught their fox, who turned as stiff as a crutch as soon as he was 

 brought to hand. Mr. Hill, of Mill Green, viewed a very tired fox going through 

 his rickyard pointing for Hoar Cross. This probably was the Brakenhurst fox, 

 and it was a pity we did not hear Mr. Hill's halloa. However, it was a capital 

 day's sport with a satisfactory ending. 



Monday, November 21, 1898. Doveridge. Hounds threw off in the Hare 

 Park, whence a fox went away for the Lake Banks, Sudbury, but retraced his 

 steps to the Hare Park, where he probably got to gi'ound, as they could make 

 nothing of him. Another fox was found in the Snake Grove, who took them by 

 Mr. Bowden's house at Somersal Herbert, swung right-handed for Sudbury 

 Coppice, then left-handed as if he meant going to Eaton Wood, but changing his 



