82 THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



killing him in an open field. A curious and some- 

 what amusing scene at this time presented itself. 

 Two farmers, anxious for the honours of the day, 

 rode into the midst of the pack, quite regardless of 

 the hounds, and began to contend for the brush, 

 Mr. Combe followed them, and I thought another 

 brush, if not another " Who — Whoop " would have 

 been the consequence. Although no great difficulties 

 presented themselves, this day's sport was very 

 creditable to the Oldakers, and their hounds, and a 

 great treat to those who saw it. The time was an 

 hour and twenty-five minutes. On the following day 

 we met at Uffington Wood, instead of Coxwell Wood, 

 as previously fixed. As the distance between these 

 places is six miles, some little dissatisfaction was 

 expressed by those who went to the latter place, 

 although of course a whipper-in was waiting there to 

 announce the change. Appointments with hounds 

 cannot be too rigidly observed ; and nothing but 

 weather should alter them. 



Uffington Wood is a beautiful place for a find. 

 Above it is a range of downs, and below it is as fine 

 a vale as can be found in Leicestershire, or in any 

 other country. Over this vale our fox took, and we 

 killed him after a bad beginning but an excellent 

 finish, in all thirty-seven minutes. Uffington Wood 

 can never be without foxes so long as a farmer and 

 his wife, by the name of Spackman, are in existence, 

 for they feed them as they would part of the stock 

 on their farm. The worthy dame was this day in 

 great alarm lest we should kill her vixen fox as she 

 called it, which I fear we were guilty of doing, but 

 there is no help for such things in the middle of 

 February. 



There was a person riding well to hounds during 

 this run, who is deserving of notice here, not only in 

 honour of himself but of the horse he rode. His 



