328 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS, [1900 



from Snelston to Mickleover, started), but they lost him in Snelston Park. They 

 then drew the Holt, and ran out towards Osmastou, slowly, with a poor scent, 

 back again by the Holt, and lost him. The Holly Wood, Snelston, held a fox, 

 who led them, slowly again, by the Holt, out towards Osmaston, back by the 

 Holt, into Snelston New Gorse, whence he was viewed away by a man at work, 

 " very tu-ed." Most foxes that people see are in that condition. However, " very 

 tired " or not, as the case might be, he made good his escape. Then came the 

 good thing at last. No one seemed anxious to go to Longford, so, as a last 

 resource, the Master bethought him of trying the undisturbed Cubley end of the 

 Holly Wood, and sure enough a fox was there. Hounds came away with a great 

 dash, ran two fields towards the Cubley-Darley Moor road, and checked. The 

 small band who were left looked in one another's faces as if to say, " Ah, a mere 

 flash in the pan ; no scent ; all over." The huntsman cast forward over the road. 

 No go. But a cast back to where they had checked proved successful, and 

 hounds set to and ran hard. Back through the Cubley end of the Holly Wood, 

 out over the road, the httle bitches flew ; parallel with the Cubley road they 

 chattered away men-ily, making up so much leeway that, halfway to Cubley 

 Gorse, they were in the same field as their fox. Had they caught sight of him it 

 must have gone hard with their quany. But bustled foxes travel fast, and this 

 one reached the gorse in front of them. A short pause, and they were away 

 again, across the Marston-Cubley road, right-handed nearly to Marston, left- 

 handed just short of Iligg's Lane, nearly to Vernon's Oak, and then back again by 

 Malcomsley to Cubley Car. Through it they ran to ground close by the main 

 road to Ashbourne, a few fields further on. Forty miimtes, a four-mile point, 

 and as many miles as hounds ran as any one likes to call it. No bad scurry for 

 a bitter cold evenmg in merry March. 



Monday, March 19th. Marston-Montgomery. Hounds came at twelve instead 

 of eleven o'clock for the first time this month, and a goodly number of people, 

 including a fair sprinkling of farmers for these days, arrived to meet them. 

 Marston Wood was blank, but a brace of foxes was soon on foot, and one went 

 away boldly at the Marston end, but the other was mang}', so it was decided to 

 stick to him and to try and kill him. Fortune, however, was on his side, for 

 scent there was none. Still they poked about and got him across to Red Niche, 

 and back again into Eaton Wood, while people rode about with cold noses and 

 faces shrivelled with the bitter March wind. When he did go at the Marston 

 end hounds got away a long time behind him, and could barely hunt their fox 

 for three or four fields, when scent failed on Mr. Smith's farm, between Wardley 

 and Mai-ston. Wardley Coppice, Uphill Wood, and Lady Wood were all blank 

 — matters not being improved for the moment by a cold, drenching rain. This, 

 however, seemed to do good in the end ; or was it in the change of soil? Any- 

 how, hounds ran smartly with a fox — well found and well started with — from the 

 Hare Park, coming away with a rare dash and cry. It is an intricate bit of 

 country from here to Brocksford, a bridge and a locked gate checking the pace 

 of horsemen, while hounds, running the inside track, improved theirs, and came 

 over the road at the bridge below Ley Plill with a clear lead, and on excellent 

 terms with their fox. Up the brook side they ran like mad, all together, carrying 

 a rare head, and crossed over to the Doveridge side by the Snake Grove osiers. 

 And a nice dance they led their followers over a line that took some doing. But 

 have we not the authority of the Meynell Hunt song for the fact that — 

 "A Derbyshire man, when he's leading the van, 

 Of the biggest fence ne'er had a dread." 



