The Vale of White Horse. 367 



huntsman. In curious contrast with the above-named 

 condition for scent on the wolds^ is the fact that in a 

 dry and dusty March hounds frequently fly from find 

 to finish, at times almost hidden in the cloud they 

 raise. A cold easterly wind must, no doubt, be the 

 agent and the explanation then. 



The centre of the country, taken diagonally from 

 Cirencester by Cricklade to Swindon and ■ beyond, is 

 chiefly a vale country — a continuation, in fact, of the 

 Berkshire Vale. Its fences are, with the exception of 

 a few doubles in the neighbourhood of Swindon, plain, 

 fair, hedge-and-ditch, requiring but not overtaxing a 

 hunter ; most of its surface is grass ; and its coverts 

 are of a nice handy size. In a wet season it may ride 

 a trifle deep ; but can scarcely be said to have a pro- 

 nounced failing in that direction. In and about 

 Braydon, however, the ground will often be found 

 deep and holding as a snipe marsh. Amid its woods 

 you must plunge about sticky yellow rides that 

 threaten to take you in bodily ; and outside it is often 

 all you can do to make way across a field before coming 

 to a hairy uncut fence, whose thorn-growth has never 

 been thinned or trimmed and whose ditch has never 

 been freed of the long rank grass. Visitors speak 

 with no affection of the Braydon Woods. The Hunt 

 pin their faith strongly to them ; asserting, with good 

 reason, that they find the stoutest foxes there; and 

 that thence come many of their longest and best runs. 

 As it is with the Claydon Woods in the Bicester 

 country, and the Launde and Owston Woods in the 

 Cottesmore (with similar examples all over England), 

 so it is with the Braydon Woods in the Vale of White 



