CHAPTER IX. 



" The busy news, the sportive tongue ; 

 The laugh that makes us still feel young." 



IN the year 1874, when I came into the South Durham 

 country to succeed Philip Tocock as first whipper-in, 

 Mr. W. H. Wood, of West Hetton Lodge, and now of 

 Coxhoe Hall (father of Mr. John Wood, who, I believe, 

 hunts at times with the South Durham) was covert and 

 poultry fund secretary, and Mr. Henry Fawcus (whose 

 unfortunate death has not been long recorded) was field 

 secretary. Mr. Wood was hardly what I call a light weight, 

 but very keen, and knocked along on a good chesnut horse 

 that carried him safely for several seasons, and few people 

 enjoyed the sport more than he did. He was a most genial 

 gentleman amongst the farmers, was full of wit and humour, 

 and could tell any amount of good stories, relating parti- 

 cularly to coal-pit anecdotes, and could tell them well in the 

 "pit" dialect, which I never could speak myself; in fact, 

 whenever we got into a pit neighbourhood there appeared to 

 be only one word which the boys made use of. 



I wonder if Mr. Wood remembers a certain fence out of 

 the plantation near " Five Houses." We got into the covert, 

 and he says to me, " Where can we get out, Jack ? " I 



