346 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1901 



Tuesday, Tiie Red Cow, and a boisterous day. First of all we went to look 

 for some outlying foxes, who have been doing a great deal of damage, but tliese 

 robbers of hen-roosts were not to be found in their accustomed haunts. Mr. 

 Beech, of Thorn Tree farm, who loves to see a fox hunted, and who has set a 

 good example to his neighbours in taking down every bit of wire on his farm, 

 without even being asked, showed us where to go, and it must have been some 

 satisfaction to him to see hounds run a fox from the Woods to his spinny, 

 though he would have been better pleased still if they had killed his enemy, but 

 tliat may come yet. An old hand viewed a mangy fox in Bagot's Wood, and set 

 the ball rolling. After that we had plenty of hunting. Up and down and round 

 about hounds ran, with as many as a leash of foxes in front of them at times. 

 More than once they got out in the open, but scent was poor and things did not 

 turn out quite happily ; there was always something to upset the apple-cart. 

 They ran out, as was said before, to the spinny on Mr. Beech's farm, but 

 unluckil}' they changed from the line of the last fox, which went away, and on 

 which they started in grand style, on to that of his predecessor, who was gone 

 some time, and so that came to an end. Then they found again in Bagot's 

 Wood and ran the usual sort of way, till at last they got a fox away from Dog 

 Kennel Wood into the Banks. He only just went out again on to Lower Sale 

 farm, across Buttermilk Lane, passed between Daisy Bank and the covert 

 opposite to it, over the brook where Mr. Maynard had a bad fall and had to go 

 home, up into Hart's Coppice. Then back again over the brook and into Daisy 

 Bank, when he was given up, having got too far ahead for hounds to do any good. 

 Tomlinson's Corner held a fox, as it always has done this year (for which our 

 thanks are due to Mr. Clay), and with him we had a real good, old-fashioned 

 tow-row, up and down the Banks, and got him fairly tired, till, after hairbreadth 

 escapes, he got to ground, and saved his bmsh. It was a hard day for hounds, 

 but they kept bustling to the finish. By-the-by, they ran their mangy fox to 

 gromid on Mr. Cope's farm by Marlpit House, earlier in the day. 



On Thursday, and a very rough Thursday it was, too, hounds came to Brails- 

 ford Bridge, where a large field met them. A fox — a mangy one — was soon on 

 foot in Brailsford Gorse, and after one or two abortive attempts broke away at 

 the lower end over the lane, but turned back over it, and pointed for Mercaston. 

 When hounds had once really settled to the line they ran fast, just cutting a 

 corner into the road to Mercaston Stoop, down which they ran for lialf a mile as 

 hard as they could lay legs to ground to the Stoop, swung sharp to the right, 

 still on the road, without hovering even, for a short way till they turned out of 

 the lane, without checking, and ran hard along the hill side, crossing the Turn- 

 ditch, Brailsford road, and the Black brook, and went swinging up the hill at best 

 pace for the new gorse. Two fields from the covert they overran it, only 

 Drover sticking to the line, and turned short uphill into the gorse, the pack going 

 on beyond it. This caused some delay, and hounds dwelling in covert, when 

 tliey did get on the line, the fox, a travelling sort, got too long a start for them to 

 do any more good, though they did speak to it now and then, through the corner 

 of the old covert, Eavensdale Park, almost up to Breward's Car. This held no 

 fox, neither did Eavensdale Park (which was not surprising), nor Wild Park, nor 

 White's Wood, nor the Brailsford home coverts, but they found a brace in 

 Culland, one of which they ran into about halfway between Cullaud and Brailsford 

 Hall. Boden's Thorns held three or four foxes, which went away pretty much 

 at the same time, and what with wild weather and a very impatient field, it is 

 not sui-prising that hounds made wild work of it, and could settle to nothing. 

 Eventually the main body managed to get clear of the crowd, and ran hard 



