The Burstow. 167 



Union at one time lent a slice of ground in the north- 

 west as far as the vicinity of Leith Hill ; and, again, 

 the Burstow hounds used to draw the Penshurst 

 neighbourhood and up to Tunbridge Wells (which has 

 of late reverted to the West Kent). Now they make 

 up their country by the help of the Crawley and 

 Horsham, which Hunt has given them territory from 

 East Grinstead down to the borders of the Southdown 

 — and this portion forms their Wednesday ground. 



The vale of course gets deep and holding in mid- 

 winter, though it is by no means so sticky after recent 

 rain, however heavy, as on the breaking up of a frost. 

 In the former case, choosing the furrows, you may 

 splash along the surface with tolerable ease : in 

 the latter, your horse's feet are held as in wax, and he 

 must be a stout one to make any progress at all. The 

 vale coverts are not so large but that plenty of 

 travelling room is left outside; though, as they are 

 often deep to ride through, they are extensive enough 

 to exhaust a horse before he reaches the open. Woods 

 of twenty to thirty acres are more common than larger 

 coverts. That of Cutandly is perhaps the biggest, as 

 it is also one of the best, in the vale. As with the 

 Crawley and Horsham, and other southern packs, 

 shooting considerations not unfrequently affect the 

 interests of foxhunting — and this is particularly the 

 case with many nice coverts by the side of the main 

 line, from London to Brighton, the shooting of which 

 has been let to strangers. But on the whole the 

 Burstow country is fairly stocked — as is proved by the 

 fact that during the late very open season (1881-82) 

 hardly a blank day occurred. And the foxes are of a 



n2 



