The Puekeridge. 109 



hole in a thick dark bullfinch without dashing your 

 face into the thorn s_, that will crawl over a bank and 

 scramble in and out of the wide ditch beyond — and 

 at all times take the office from his master. A rash 

 impetuous horse will quickly break his own back, and 

 possibly his confiding owner^s neck — except, it may 

 be, in the eastern strip of the country, or in a foray 

 into the Ruthins of the Essex, where the fences are 

 low and unbanked, and may be taken in a fly by a 

 vigorous jumper. 



Bishop^ s Stortford and Buntingford are the two 

 quarters where horses can best be stationed, to hunt 

 with the Puckeridge. Buntingford is more in the 

 centre of the country; but Bishop^s Stortford is 

 easier reached from Town, and is nearer to the present 

 kennels. Furneuse Pelham is the actual centre spot 

 of the Hunt, and nearly a century ago was chosen by 

 Mr. Calvert for his kennels ; but it would nowadays 

 scarcely answer the purpose of a base for the hunting- 

 man running down from London. Mr. Parry kept 

 his hounds at Albury ; and Mr. Gosling, the present 

 Master, has built kennels at Manewden, between 

 three and four miles from Bishop^ s Stortford. From 

 Liverpool Street Station it is but an hour^s journey by 

 the Great Eastern to Bishop^ s Stortford ; and, accord- 

 ing to present arrangements, a train leaving London 

 at 9.10 slips a carriage at the latter place at 10.8 — 

 which should allow you time to reach all the nearer 

 meets. For the wider fixtures you will, of course, 

 have to break your fast sooner, and take an earlier 

 train. 



The Puckeridge hunt three days a week, Monday, 



