COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 51 



plunged awful, and strained my groin. I could not 

 get my second horse, and "Comus" was taken ill 

 and died a few days after. 



At the end of the season, 6th April, Hugo 

 Meynell gave us a day at Bagot's Park with the 

 Atherstone Hounds. Jack and I went and stayed 

 with him at Cross Hays. The hounds and horses 

 came in the morning by train to Rugeley station ; 

 Mr. and Mrs. Oakeley, and a lot of people. It was 

 very dry and very little scent. I sent Morris on to 

 the end of the wood, and when I began to draw heard 

 him holloa ; got up to him directly and hunted 

 steadily up nearly to Chartley. I ought to have 

 gone on with it. Went back to Great Wood and 

 found another fox, and ran to ground. I took the 

 hounds away two fields off. Turner, Lord Bagot's 

 keeper, put a terrier into the drain, and a beastly 

 little vixen fox ran bang into the hounds' mouth. It 

 was most unfortunate, and we all went home very 

 dejected. 



Hugo was very ill at the time, and died at the 

 end of May. Bob Harper and I attended the 

 funeral, and a very sad one it was. 



1871. The last day of the season was unfortu- 

 nate. On going to draw Hartshill Hayes the hounds 

 had just got into the covert when the keeper ran up 

 and said, " Don't go there, I have got my traps 

 down". It was too late. As I rode down the ride 

 I noticed the hounds pick something off the twigs 

 at the side of the rides. We had just got into the 

 road, luckily near home, when some of them began 



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