( 88 ) 



Broug-ht forward .... 



Fox^ and Avere with difficulty stopped, lohennearly 

 dark, between Caundle Brake and Milborne East Hill, 

 having- covered a g-ood twenty miles of ground in this 



brilliant and extraordinary run 



Saturday, March 5th, 1831. 



The Blackmoor Vale Hounds met on this day at 

 Batcombe Wood, near Bruton, the wind south-west, with 

 a driving" rain ; — finding immediately, they went away 

 in a few minutes, on only middling* terms, across the 

 enclosure by Batcombe Lodge, and on to Asham Wood 

 (of 600 acres,) across the corner of which they made 

 direct for the alpine heights of Mendip, hunting their 

 Fox over the heaths and furzes of that wild and romantic 

 region to a place called Lye, Avhere the Fox was ap- 

 parently lost in a heavy fog and rain, having been 

 headed by some furze-cutters on the moor. By taking 

 the Hounds on about two miles, he was recovered, in a 

 very masterly manner, in Lye Wood, the Pack racing 

 him through the fine Covers and Park of Colonel Hor- 

 ner, at Mells, and on to Vallis and little Elm, near 

 Frome, where a most curious sight presented itself: — 

 In the rocky gorge of the valley, at the base of a tree 

 onerhanging the mountain torrent, the Hounds toere 

 at bay, and on the top of the tree, twenty feet above 

 the ground in a mass of ivy, the Fox was seen at 

 perch ; from whence he made his leap into the stream 

 beloic, a favourite Hound and the Fox sinking to the 

 bottom together i Thus ended a run of four hours and 

 forty-five minutes, over every variety of ground — a good 

 twenty-five miles having been covered in this curious 

 and extraordinary chase, ivhich extended through 

 thirteen parishes / 



Wednesday, March 9th. 



The Blackmoor Vale Hounds met this day at Stock 



Carried forward .... 



