78 THE ETON COLLEGE HUNT. 



absence ' to distant meets on whole holidays, and often I 

 fear putting himself to considerable inconvenience by doing 

 so. 



'' I remember in my year we had run a hare from Dorney at 

 a great pace and killed in his garden, hounds had broken up their 

 hare, and only a very mauled pad was saved, which I did not 

 think worth having set up for him. However, he was anxious 

 to have something to mark the event, so Jefferies in the High 

 Street did his best, and I hope the moth has not yet got 

 into it. 



'' The E.C.H. had one thick-and-thin supporter before the 

 War in 'Old Mum.' Mr. Mumford kept a public near the 

 Bridge. As far as I remember, he never missed a day, 

 nor did anyone ever see him run, yet he was always viewing 

 the hunted hare and was invaluable. We used to take him on 

 the hound van for long distance meets, and I hope he goes 

 beagling still. He was one of the best. 



'' In conclusion I may say that it is a great relief to know 

 that the E.C.H. is on its legs again and showed such good sport 

 last season. The packs at Oxford and Cambridge will now be 

 able to staff themselves from ' old hands,' and that means a lot. 

 It one can offer any advice to future Masters of the E.C.H. 

 (and it certainly seems presumptuous), I would say, try and spend 

 more time with hounds in the kennels and at exercise, and get to 

 know your kennel management thoroughly. And, if it ever is 

 possible, get the pack into the stud book." 



There was one disastrous incident in L. C. Gibbs' year, 

 1911-12, which Dunning has described for me. 



*' The Stole Pari Tragedy. We had met at Salt Hill, I 

 think, and after one circle hounds hunted their hare into Stoke 

 Park, where they checked. (Here let me say that there are 

 fallow deer in the Park, that the ground was very soft, 

 particularly the putting greens, and that a * medal round ' was 

 being played on the course.) 



" Well, a herd of deer was close by and suddenly took fright 

 and galloped off. Up went hounds' heads, and then the fun 

 began. Some one was out with us on horseback, I think 

 S. G. Menzies, a late Master of the E.C.H., and he did every- 

 thing in his power to stop them, as they drove the deer round 

 and round the golf course and across the greens, to the horror of 

 the players. Finally they divided, and, while the Master got to 

 one half as they were swimming their quarry in the lake and 

 stopped them, I found three or four couple had pulled down. a 

 deer in the wood behind the club house. 



