THE PROVINCES. 261 



perfection of woodland hunting, amid o})en rides and hollow 

 glades ; and it generally happens that hounds eventually work 

 their way into the o])en,' either through Wicken Spinnies, or 

 across the Ouse into Mr. Lowndes's country. The kennels are 

 at Wakefield Lawn, near Stony Stratford, and the latter town, 

 Weedon, Wolverton, Towcester, Blixworth, and Buckingham 

 are all convenient for head-quarters. Weedon is the best of 

 all, for you get from there not only the Duke's, but a good part 

 of the Pytchley, and the cream of the Bicester and the War- 

 wickshire. Indeed, it shares with Coventry the pride of place 

 as winter quarters for the soldier who, in default of sterner 

 game, delights to employ his superfluous energies on ' the 

 image of war without its guilt, and only five-and-twenty per 

 cent, of its danger.' 



East and north-east of the Duke of Grafton's country lies 

 the domain of the Oakley, marching with the Pytchley from 

 Northampton to Higham Ferrers, thence to Huntingdon with 

 the Milton ; turning south and west the line runs along the 

 Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire borders to Leighton, whence 

 northward it joins the boundaries of the Whaddon Chase and 

 the Duke of Grafton's. 



Fifty years ago the hounds belonged to the Duke of l^edford. 

 Next they belonged to the country, who sold them to Mr. Ark- 

 wright. The latter added to them large drafts from the Belvoir and 

 Brocklesby, and, by dint of a quarter of a century of skilful breed- 

 ing, built up a grand pack, which, on his proffering his resignation 

 four years ago, the present Duke of Bedford purchased from him, 

 and generously presented to the hunt. 



Such is the history of this hunt as lately set forth ; but 

 ' The Druid ' carries the record back to the first decade of 

 the century, when the Duke of that day took them in hand, 

 with George Wells for his huntsman. Mr. Robert Arkwright 

 had hunted the country for six-and-twenty seasons four days a 

 week till, some six years ago, finding the work too much for him, 

 he divided it with Mr. T. Macan, he himself hunting the wood- 

 lands in the northern half twice a week, and his colleague 



