8o THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



give him greater pleasure than to go into Mr. 

 Warde's kennel with five hundred guineas in 

 his pocket and to leave them behind him, on 

 condition of picking five couple of hounds, but 

 the deal did not come off. 



A meet of these hounds took place at Cold 

 Harbour, Blunsdon, on Monday, February 21st, 

 1825, which was described by " Nimrod " (Mr. 

 Apperley) in the Sporting Magazine, as 

 follows : — 



On Monday 21st I met the Old Berkeley hounds 

 at a place called Cold Harbour, ten miles from 

 Faringdon on the Malmesbury road. This is a 

 place of no small note being recorded in song, as the 

 tomb of the late enemy of mankind : — 



Some say the devil's dead 



And buried at Cold Harbour. 



Others say he's still alive 



And 'prenticed to a barber. 



The latter if we may judge from circumstances, 

 is more likely to be the case, and the former but the 

 fiction of the poet. The country about Cold Har- 

 bour is very fine, being chiefly grass and nothing 

 appears wanting to afford sport but a better show of 

 coverts. This is therefore called an uncertain draw ; 

 and on this day we travelled over a large space of 

 country, and did not find until quite late in the day, 

 at the Great Coxwell Woods, within two miles of 

 Faringdon, which are never without foxes. We soon 

 whipped off, partly on account of the advanced hour, 

 and partly because the place was fixed upon for the 

 forthcoming Wednesday's draw. 



On Tuesday 22nd, these hounds met at Ashdown 



