Tuesday, March 3rd, 1896. 



Meet at Warren House. Field of thirty-five assembled for a 

 run to the " Green Man," Hurst. A bit of a blizzard put a stop to 

 all dawdling, and hounds got very punctually to work. 



The expectations of a heavy line were fully realised, the rain 

 during the night had thoroughly soaked the ground, which at the 

 best of times rides a bit sticky. Hounds were laid on in the plough 

 to the west of Warren House, ran northwards past Warren House 

 Farm, through gates over the road east of Broad Common Farm 

 and then west of Haines Hill to the finish. 



The nature of the jumps compensated for the heavy going. A 

 large crowd of yokels planted themselves near the water at the 

 finish, and cheered, occasionally derisively, the performances of the 

 riders. We did our best to give the spectators a show, the hunt 

 servants assisting nobly. Mac and his horse arranged to give them 

 two separate baths. Phipps might have been taken for a saint as 

 he hovered for a moment in the air, crowned with a halo of spray, 

 but his expression (s), as he began to realise the temperature of the 

 water, spoilt the illusion. Birkbeck's horse jumped straight into 

 the brook and breasted the far bank, the rider, clinging tightly to 

 the reins, described a most effective somersault round the buckle as 

 pivot. Slo's grey charged a bank, but, failing to force it, remained 



( 49 ) 



