302 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1899 



his being mangy, and therefore, of course, better out of the waj'. Brailsford 

 Gorse and the Ednaston coverts were drawn blank, but Shirley Park sustained it& 

 reputation. Hounds were some time before they found, and there was some delay 

 in getting on to the line of a fox, which went away on the Bradley side and was 

 viewed across the Derby road. Whether he turned back or whether there was a 

 brace of foxes was uncertain, but, anyhow, hounds ran one back into Shirley Park. 

 Going away again, he went to ground in Ednaston Gorse. They found a good 

 straight-necked fox in Reeve's Moor, and ran best pace to Shirley Park to ground. 

 The pace fairly spread-eagled the field, who followed in a string a mile long. 

 Going back to Longford Car, a fox was away like a shot, and hounds fairly raced 

 across the cricket-ground, over the road by the park palings, and, swinging left- 

 handed, crossed the Tutbury road near the school. For five or six minutes they 

 absolutely flew, and it was a treat to see them dashing and flinging, every hound 

 eager to be first, as it were, romping with the scent like children at play. By 

 Hill Top farm, where the Guards point-to-point started from, the pace sobered 

 down, but still they ran nicely, till over Longford Marsh, when a couple of hounds 

 stole a march on their comrades, and the latter were at fault. A cast to the 

 right failed to mend matters, but, luckily, some one had seen the leading couple, 

 and the huntsman, galloping on, hit off the line forward, and thus united his 

 forces. Disdaining to take shelter in Boden's Thorns, which he passed on his 

 right, our fox went fairly straight for Thurvaston, which lay on his right. 

 Hounds hunted nicely on, Avith a little help, across the Trusley brook, and over 

 Long lane nearly to Parson's Gorse, when they lost him, after a very good hunt 

 of about forty-five minutes. 



Tuesday found a moderate muster of Meynell people, and a fair sprinkling of 

 strangers at Birchwood Park. Birchwood and the Fradswell Coverts were blank, 

 but a fox stole away from Chartley Gorse, with a couple of hounds after him, sa 

 the main body got but a poor start. In spite of this, however, they ran him 

 quite nicely, down-wind, across the Blythe to gi-ound near Carry Coppice. It was 

 short, but sweet, and exciting enough to induce a hard-riding gentleman [Mr. 

 Caldecott], on a good-looking bay mare, to jump a rail gallantly into the river in 

 preference to making use of the hunting-gate at the ford. Chartley Moss, Grat- 

 wich Wood, Carry Coppice, Loxley Park Wood, and the Alder Moor were drawn 

 blank, and hounds went home. It was a great pity they did not find again, as 

 there seemed to be a very fair scent in the morning. 



Thursday at Walton gave us a sort of week-turned-upside-down feeling, and 

 made it hard to realize the fact that it was Thursday and not Saturday. After 

 drawing sundry small places blank, hounds found in the gardens at Drakelowe, 

 and ran in a half-hearted sort of fashion round and about and to-and-fro the 

 Drakelowe coverts till they lost him. But the feature of the day was the first 

 call on the new gorse planted by that capital sportsman, Mr. Ilatclift'. Nor was 

 the call in vain, for a fox was on foot at once and away. As soon as hounds 

 settled to the line they began to run fast towards Lullington. But the plough 

 soon brought them to their noses, and it was a treat to see how closely they stuck 

 to the line of a wavering fox, in spite of dusty plough and the too close attention 

 of an eager field. Right-handed they bent towards Homestall Wood, making 

 every inch of ground good over the plough, and driving gaily on where pasture 

 favoured them. A very hard-riding doctor got a nasty fall and lay still for a few 

 moments as if he was badly hurt, but to our great relief he was soon on his feet 

 and, when once mounted again, was sailing along, proving himself to be one of 

 the right sort. Into Homestall Wood they chattered merrily and out on the other 

 side, where an awkward bottom with wire on the farther side barred the progress 



