44 BE AV FORT HUNT: PAST AND PRESENT. 



26tli December, 1871, and, in my later days the one on January 8tli, 

 1903. I remember them both very well. On the former day we 

 found our first fox, an outlier, near Great Wood, had a quick gallop 

 with him, and he was eventually lost near Dauntsey. Found our 

 second fox in Great Wood at two o'clock, and ran hard in cover for 

 30 minutes. I was lucky enough to get a start, along with Captain 

 Ben Wlnthrop, for I have a vivid recollection that as we were going 

 best pace towards Miles' Gorse, over the grass and nice jumpable 



fences, his shouting to me " By G , Sir, this is worth a guinea a 



minute! " and so it was. We passed the Gorse, crossing the brook 

 over the hunting bridge, thence to Brinkworth, by Moodie's Gorse, 

 Woodbridge Coppice, Eastcourt, Crudwell, Culkerdown, and whipped 

 off as it was getting dark at Haresdown Barn, very near Eodmarton. 

 I remember finding my chestnut mare, Cinderella (she won the 

 Beaufort Hunt Cup a few months later, ridden by Sir Thomas Dancer), 

 just about done, so I had to put in at Trull, where the late WilUam 

 Kilminster soon refreshed me and her, and she trotted home with 

 me and was none the worse. Eleven mile point ; time, over two 

 hours. 



Then on January 8th, 1903, we found in a clump in Badminton 

 Park, and came out near Worcester Lodge. Hounds ran from there 

 to ground in Avening Wood without any perceptible check, in 55 

 minutes ; nine mile points. I remember that run well, and a very 

 fine run it was, the fox making his point without entering a single 

 covert ; passing Park Wood, Bowldown, Beverston Brake, etc., 

 as if they did not exist. I was not quite quick enough at starting, 

 but I could see the leaders going, and had all I could do to keep them 

 in sight. They were Mr. and Mrs. Bill Harford, Hugh Barker, Will 

 Dale, and my son Edward on a one-eyed horse. Luckily for him the 

 remaining eye was a good one. 



There have been, of course, scores of good runs during my time, 

 and good hunts, too, some on the days I have been out, and many 

 more, especially in the Wiltshire side of the country, when I have 

 not been out. 



Mr. Herbert Nell's help in hunting the country from 1905 to 

 March 5th, 1910, must not be forgotten, for no one worked harder, 

 I might say as hard as he did, to show sport. He tells me that when 

 hunting the Avon Vale country from near Chipping Sodbury he had 

 to leave home very early, and was frequently not back till ten or 

 twelve at night, and once not till two o'clock on a Sunday morning. 

 His best season was 1908-9. He had 27| couple of hounds, started 

 hunting on August 27th, and finished on the 1st of May, killed 26| 

 brace, and ran 10 brace to ground. He says : "I finished the day 

 I hurt my eye, viz., March 5th, 1910, which was a capital day (except 

 the eye part of it). We had killed a fox in the big woods at Rood 

 Ashton, and then went away with another, and ran him for two 

 hours five minutes, and killed him." He adds : " It is wonderful 



