First Whippcr-in. i6i 



together in the hunting field. When the old horse died 

 he was close on thirty years of age, and had done 

 an astonishing lot of hunting. Talking of horses, a wonder- 

 ful good mare was " Stewardess," purchased by Mr. Ord 

 from Mr. Beadon for an old song, as she bore the character 

 of being unmanageable at the time, but after a few lessons 

 and finding out her temper during cub-hunting, we got her 

 transformed into a wonderful good hunter, and I shan't 

 forget how well she carried me through a grand run in 

 1881,* which was about the best season for sport I ever 

 remember ; fox-hounds could really run every day during that 

 wet, mild winter, and we always came home with dirty 

 jackets. We met at Traveller's Rest, and finding at Mid- 

 dridge whin, ran straight to Windlestone, where we killed after 

 a fine burst of twenty-two minutes ; found a fresh fox in the 

 woods and crossed the Bishop Auckland road and Westerton 

 Colliery railway, leaving the Mill plantation on the right, 

 crossed the Merrington road and went straight for Dene 

 Bridge wood, which our fox left on the right ; passing 

 Merrington we rattled along and thence by Roughlea to 

 Ferryhill station, where some of us viewed our fox in a 

 turnip field, and he made again for Merrington, but being 

 headed turned sharp into Windlestone, and made his way at a 

 rattling pace through Eldon Hope plantation by Eldon to 

 Howlish Hall, Leasingthorne Colliery, skirted Merrington 

 Rush and died (a grand old dog fox) by Dene Bridge pit heap, 

 after running two hours and thirty-five minutes with not 

 more than a momentary check. She carried me in the 

 front, beginning to end, of this two hours and thirty-five 

 minutes with scarce a check to mention, and hounds did 



• November 11th, 1881 ; alluded to in Chapter IV. 



