310 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1899 



Bumaston road, where he turned short back through Bunker's Hill, and so, by 

 Findern, to Hell Meadows, after a nice thirty minutes. Plere he elected to 

 remain, and, after being hunted round about the covert for twenty minutes or so, 

 contrived to efface himself somehow. In all probability he got into a rabbit- 

 burrow, as the earths were securely stopped. Spilsbury Plantations were next 

 drawn, and held a brace of foxes, one of which led hounds by Mickleover and 

 Bearwardcote to Bumaston, where, unluckily, hounds divided. The main body 

 of the pack liit a stale line down one side of the avenue, and, while every one's 

 attention was concentrated on them, six couples slipped away back on the other 

 side of the avenue, and were seen running unattended towards Spilsbury's, no 

 doubt on the line of the hunted fox. The stale line, which was meanwhile 

 occupying the main body, grew colder and colder, till hounds could follow it no 

 longer, and it had to be given up as hopeless. An old sportsman used first of all 

 to ask, " Did you kill your fox ? " and then, if that was answered in the affirmative, 

 " Did you tire your horse ? " If the answer to this was " Yes " also, he used to 

 remark, " Then you had a good day." So, as most people's horses were tired, 

 Thursday might lay credit to having been at least half a good day. 



Thursday, November 16th, at Brailsford Hall, was a typical hunting morning, 

 nor were those who predicted a good scent out in their reckoning. For, finding 

 at once in White's Wood, hounds got a good start, and pushed along memly, 

 leaving Mercaston on their right in a generally straight direction for Hulland. 

 Of course on a nice fine day at this time of the year there are always people at 

 work in the fields, and with the best of intentions a fox cannot go quite straight. 

 Still, in spite of a zig-zag now and then, and a sharp turn or two, this fox kept 

 making his way as if he had a definite point in his head. So things went well 

 till we got to Tail's Wood, pretty nearly opposite Hulland Hall, where something 

 untoward usually happens. To-day four or five hounds seemed to have a Hne at 

 the bottom of the hill below Tait's Wood, and, as a matter of fact, Mr. Hall, 

 coming out to join us later on, riding bare-backed on a rare good black mare^ 

 reported seeing the fox pointing for Blackwall. But meanwhile a fox had been 

 viewed in Tait's Wood, and may possibly have got to ground there. Anyhow 

 the huntsman cast on forward towards Hulland, till a halloa back caused him to 

 retrace his steps. Just at this moment there was a faint halloa out Blackwall 

 way. Hounds, however, got on the line of the fox halloaed back, and re-crossing 

 the lane to Hulland, ran nicely back, and down to the Spinnythorne Brook. Up 

 to Tait's Wood they had been running twenty minutes, and those twenty minutes 

 had been most enjoyable. After that it was a case of slow hunting, luckUy, too, 

 as they crossed and re-crossed the brook, which was wired in most places. The 

 huntsman got his horse's hind leg caught up in a strand of plain wire, and was 

 extricated by the aid of some good sportsmen with wire-clippers. Thus the chase 

 wended its way slowly onwards, bearing always left-handed, •follo^ving more or 

 less the course first of the Spinnythorne and then of the Brailsford Brook, over a 

 wild, rushy country. Along the osier-beds below Ednaston they made out the 

 line with difliculty, till at last it looked Hke a forlorn hope, which was made none 

 the rosier by the pressing forward of an over eager field. But Hasty helped her 

 comrades out of their difficulties, and, bearing left-handed still, they carried the 

 line to Brailsford Gorse after hunting for the best part of two hours. Hence after 

 some delay a fox went away to the right of Ednaston Gorse, and, turning back, 

 got to ground by the bridle-road, which leads down the valley between Brailsford 

 Gorse and Ednaston Gorse, into the Brailsford road. They drew Brailsford Gorse 

 again, and the fox, trying to break on the Brailsford side, was headed and killed. 



