THE OLD BERKELEY 127 



amptonshire, where I met Sir Thomas Mostyn's hounds on the 17th 

 of February. We had t*en minutes as quick as Hghtning, when our 

 fox got into a drain ; but, being bolted, he gave us a very pretty 

 forty minutes, which must have cost him his life, had not by some 

 accident Mr. Pierrepoint's earths at Imley been open, into which he 

 was seen to crawl just before the hounds. In the course of this 

 run Sir H. Peyton, on Lepidus, and Mr. Beecher leaped Stead Park 

 wall, five feet four inches high, as measured by Mr. Beecher. 



On Friday the 18th, I met the Duke of Grafton's hounds at 

 Billesdon-park. We drew all the coverts there, as well as Whistley 

 Wood, (the latter I never saw drawn blank before,) without finding 

 a fox, and at two o'clock we went home. It was the dog pack on 

 this day, and I found them exactly the same stamp of hound as 

 when I saw them last — full of power, of fine symmetry, and high 

 in condition, but quite free from unnecessary weight or lumber. I 

 saw also little alteration in that father of huntsmen, old Tom Eose. 

 His white locks to be sure formed a striking contrast with his black 

 velvet cap ; but they are still more at variance with anything like a 

 white feather in the tail, for he rides to his hounds at seventy-five 

 with all the courage and animation of youth. On the preceding 

 Wednesday this pack had a very fine run. 



On Monday the 21st, I met the Old Berkeley hounds at Cold 

 Harbour, ten miles from Farringdon on the Malmesbury road. 



The country about Cold Harbour is very fine, being chiefly grass, 

 and nothing appears wanting to afford sport but a better show of 

 coverts. This is, therefore, called an uncertain draw ; and on this 

 day w^e travelled over a large space of country very tempting to the 

 eye, and did not find till quite late in the day, at the great Coxwell 

 woods, within two miles of Farringdon, which are never without 

 foxes. We soon whipped off — partly on account of the advanced 

 hour of the day, and partly because this place was fixed on for the 

 following Wednesday's draw. 



On Tuesday the 22nd these hounds met at Ashdown Park, which 

 they draw upon sufferance from Lord Craven and Mr. Ward. Here 

 was almost the largest field I ever saw in my life in any country but 

 Leicestershire. This was partly to be accounted for, by a wish to 

 see what might be called a new pack of hounds, and partly owing to 



