214 Reminiscences of a 



in the world, I believe, and it certainly was a trimmer 

 underground, as we bolted many a fox out of the conduits 

 in Bishop Auckland Park, which could only be done by a 

 master of his art, the drains being so long and numerous. 

 Mr. Dawson used to go with me on non-hunting days and 

 pointed out the run of all the drains, and likewise marked 

 them at all spots where we could take the cover off and 

 put in a terrier and bolt them out, as foxes usually stay 

 in the dry stone conduits, and could not be worked in 

 any other way ; I 've seen a leash bolt out of one culvert, 

 but they generally hung about the park or got to 

 ground in the Wear banks. Speaking of Bishop Auckland 

 reminds me of Mr. Dundas Bruce, the sporting solicitor 

 there, who was, I think, introduced to foxhunting by that 

 good sportsman. Dr. Fenwick, and had a fine, weight-carry- 

 ing chestnut horse, with remarkably high withers. Mr. 

 Bruce was fond of the sport, and for a few seasons was 

 an ideal foxhunter, but his shortness of sight seemed to be 

 a great drawback to him, as he was compelled to hunt in 

 spectacles, and I shall never forget him taking his first 

 lesson in deep sea fishing in an old pond or moat in 

 a little plantation near the Mill wood, Rushyford, and just 

 north of the Leasingthorne line. He slipped off the sloping 

 clayey bank, and went clean overhead, and came up again 

 covered with yellow mud from head to foot, and his spec- 

 tacles were still there, but he couldn't see a thing owing 

 to the mud, and stood roaring with laughter on the bank, 

 while we fished his horse out. Being not far from Merring- 

 ton, where he lived, he wisely made his exit from the sport, 

 for he hadn't a dry thing on him. 



Dr. McCullagh was another " good man and true " 

 hailing from Bishop Auckland, and had a clinking good 



