THE OPPIDAN BEAGLES. 9 



'* On one of those rare but memorable occasions when the 

 writer was handhng the hounds, a yokel possessed of no sporting 

 or manly instincts struck the exhausted hare with a spade and 

 hid it in a cart. The huntsman with the aid of his Beckford 

 perceived what had happened, and boldly and determinedly 

 wrested the hare from the yokel and gave it to the hounds, thus 

 fulfilling the loftiest instinct of venery. 



'' All concerned enjoyed the sport. The hounds obviously, 

 the fox because he knew that he could baffle his pursuers, and 

 the boys because it called for the exercise of skill, sight, intellect 

 and endurance. Above all Joby Minor because he drew a salary. 



"It is recorded that on one occasion a beagle entered the 

 schoolroom in Schoolyard of Mr. WiUiam Johnson, a kind, 

 eccentric, but very short-sighted Master. Forty voices, 

 gratuitously and somewhat officiously, informed him of the patent 

 fact, causing a requisite but temporary cessation of work. His 

 reply was: ' Stop. I will deal with the intruder.' He seized 

 a large key, gazed steadily and threw it in exactly the opposite 

 direction to the spot on which the unconcerned hound was 

 sniffing the untainted air. Due notice was taken by the class 

 and the Master adequately informed." 



During the Mastership of H. M. Meysey-Thompson the 

 kennels were improved considerably, and he presented the pack 

 with the first *' copper " that they ever had for cooking the hound 

 food. They had a fairly good season, and some interesting runs 

 are recorded in the diary which has been lent me by Col. R. F. 

 Meysey-Thompson. Here is one of the most remarkable : 



*' Tuesday, Jan. 19th. Had a bag-fox. A bright day but 

 a good many clouds about and a splendid scent. Turned him 

 down by Crosse's Farm. Away he went, past the river jump 

 into the road leading to Aldridge's, down which he went to the 

 left till he came to the grass field there, up which he turned to 

 the left through Aldridge's rushy field straight for Dorney, 

 where he was coursed by some greyhounds, but he went away 

 through Burnham Abbey, when he turned to the left to 

 Maidenhead. Here he was headed and turned to the right to 

 the gardens at Burnham (which are about two miles distant 

 from the Abbey), where we lost him. Distance about seven 

 miles. Time, 40 minutes. Crosse w^as riding, and said it was 

 all he could do to keep up. He said Ferryman and Boscoe led 

 the whole way. We who were running got in about twenty 

 minutes after. Only about tw^elve out of a field of about forty 

 showed up at the end. We were obliged to get into a cab, as 

 many of us as could, and just got back for absence." 



