HISTORY OF THE KILDARE HUNT 



Dublin. Novr. 15th. Sporting. 

 Sir Fenton Aylmer's Hounds with the Kildare 

 Hunt had an excellent run from Corbally on Mon- 

 day morning last. The hounds found just at day- 

 light, and forcing the fox immediately from this 

 famous hill, he tried both Davidstown and Yellow 

 Earths, and finding them shut, he went off gallantly 

 through Hughestown, Stratford and Belleek Hills, 

 where being turned by country people, he went off 

 beautifully for Friarstown and Turnaunt, in which 

 he was run to ground. The scent lay so high over 

 all this fine grass country and the hounds carried 

 such a head, that all the horsemen were beat in the 

 beginning. There was only a Huntsman and two 

 Gentlemen that got in at the end of the hunt by the 

 advantage of knowing the shortest line of country. 



There is a very gruesome story associated with 

 Sir Fenton's mastership, well known orally at 

 least, but which has seldom appeared in the 

 printed page, though it is undoubtedly authentic. 

 One of the hunt servants at the kennels was waked 

 at night by the baying of the hounds, and got up 

 to see the cause. He discovered a fight in progress 

 between some of them, and that the whole pack 

 was in a turmoil. He went down as he was, dressed 

 only in a nightshirt, in order to quell the riot, and 

 entered the kennel. The hounds failed to recog- 

 nize him without his kennel clothes, fell upon him, 



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