178 The Bedale Hounds, 1832-1908 



bridge; hoping by this means to pick up 

 hounds at one end or the other of Hackfall. 

 By the time the}^ got round there was no 

 sign whatever of the hounds, and they were 

 reported to have been seen running hard 

 through Hutt Gill, pointing for Kirkby Mal- 

 zeard Moor. Although search was made 

 all over the Moor until late at night, nothing 

 could be heard of them, and much to his 

 sorrow and regret. Freeman reached Kennels 

 after midnight without his hounds. 



The next morning, however, came the 

 welcome news that the greater portion of 

 the pack was at Ramsgill (in Nidderdale, 

 about four miles from Pateley Bridge), near 

 which place it is supposed they killed their 

 fox, as they were seen close behind him 

 at Carlsmoor. By the afternoon of the 

 22nd February, every hound had turned 

 up, and none were any worse for their 

 absence from Kennel. 



On the 3rd March, meeting at Hutton 

 Bonville, there was a good day's sport. 

 Found a fox in the south end of the Whins 

 on High Magdalen Farm, which turned to- 

 wards the railway, and ran more or less 

 parallel to it up to Dalton Junction. Here, 

 hounds had a miraculous escape. An express 

 train came suddenly round a corner while 

 they were crossing the rails, and it looked 

 as if they must be cut to ribbons. I hap- 

 pened to be close to the railway fence when 

 the train appeared, and turned away my 

 head while it passed, expecting to see the 



