272 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1898 



minutes, broke away, and they ran him with a very indifferent scent by Bradlej' 

 Bottoms to the wood behind Bradley schools, where they lost him. One of the 

 senior members [Mr. C. W. Jervis-Smith] of the Hnnt got a fall soon after start- 

 ing in this run, but jumped up and pursued his flying steed at a pace which must 

 have reminded him of the playing fields at Eton. Two bits of bad news were 

 that Captain O'Shaughnessey's horse, left at the Pastures on Thursday, had had 

 to be sliot, and that that keen sportsman, Mr. Frank, had dislocated his shoulder 

 while out with Col. Chandos-Pole's hounds on Saturday, through his horse slipping 

 up on the flat. 



j\lr. Harrison entertained every one at the Castle at Chartley, on Tuesday, in 

 the most hospitable manner, and a party from Trentham, including the Duchess 

 of Sutherland, Mr. Chaplin, and Miss Chaplin, rode about with us in the fog, 

 waiting for light enough to hunt, and watching the shadowy forms of twelve and 

 a half couples of hounds. Distemper, alas ! has the pack in its deadly clutch, and 

 has already claimed Cracker and Flourish, two of the best, as its victims, while 

 it has been equally fatal to puppies at walk. Let us hope it may pass away as 

 suddenly and completely as did the fog this morning. Hounds drew two or three 

 coverts blank, but found in that stronghold, Chartley Gorse, and ran fast for a 

 mile or so towards Fradswell, and checked. Casting themselves beautifully, they 

 hit the line to the left and ran merrily along the bottom, and twisted and turned 

 with a zig-zagging fox in a way it was a treat to see. Through the beautiful 

 gorse at Sandon they ran him and halfway up the opposing ridge, running nicely 

 where scent served, and using their noses to good purpose when it did not. To 

 the right they swung, when cries of " Wire " struck fear into the boldest, and 

 caused them to stick to a friendly lane. And so on over a country full of com- 

 plications such as bogs and dimbles to Birch Wood, which our fox did not enter, 

 but some of the field did, to their undoing. A halloa towards Chartley Gorse 

 came in very useful at this juncture, and Bonner, holding them on, got on better 

 terras with his fox. For one moment it looked as if he meant repeating his ring 

 of the morning, as the hounds took a line out beyond the narrow strip of planta- 

 tion which bounds the Fradswell side of the gorse. But they turned back and 

 eventually marked their fox to ground in the gorse after a sociable hunt of an 

 hour and two minutes. Ke was dug out and killed. The hounds then drew 

 Handleasow Wood, Gratwich Wood, and Loxley Park Wood blank, and went 

 home. 



Thursday, December 15th, Mercaston Stoop. The Master was out on horse- 

 back for the first time since his accident, and if hearty congi-atulations are a salve 

 for broken bones he ought soon to be perfectly sound. At the meet we were told 

 that we were sure to find in Mugginton New Gorse, as the Dove Valley Harriers 

 had hunted a fox into it a day or two before. For once prophecy was verified, 

 for the gorse held a fox, if not a brace, but the hounds could make nothing of it. 

 Finally they hunted a stale line towards Ravensdale Park, which they drew. 

 There was a report that a brace of foxes had slipped away towards Breward's 

 Car. Certainly, as some one dryly remarked, there was nothing left in covert 

 except a stale line. Breward's Car, for a wonder, was drawn blank, but they found 

 at once in Champion Car, and he led them through Farnah, but was headed just 

 beyond there, and came back through Farnah by Champion Car to the road. He 

 then made for Breward's Car, but turned sharp right-handed along a " dimble " 

 to the cross roads near Champion Car, where hounds threw up. A fox was 

 viewed towards Breward's Car, but tliey could make nothing of it. The coverts 

 by Weston Underwood were drawn blank, but they found in Ireton Rough and 

 ran a few fields towards Breward's Car, but there was absolutely no scent, and 



