Tuesday, March 31st, 1896. 



Meet at Bannister's Farm. Alas ! the last day of the season ! 

 and such a season ! To do honour to the occasion a field of forty- 

 five mustered, all determined to ride hard. A perfect day, rather 

 hot perhaps, with the smell of "them stinking violets " in the air. 

 Hounds are laid on just west of the lane from Bannister's to the farm. 

 A word of warning from the Secretary about a duck pond some- 

 where, and we are off. Forty yards in front was the first fence, 

 beyond it the fateful pond. On the right, refusing galore ; on the 

 left — splash, and three sportsmen are in the pond. They were 

 cadets, and the Easter Holiday is on, so they won't be required for 

 a few days, and we left them there. Next comes the road, the 

 landing boggy and trappy, but no grief. One horse made a fine 

 double, clearing bank and bog first jump, and the opposite bank the 

 next. Out of the road into deep fields. Here the hounds went 

 away from us, but were caught up, and somewhat pressed on the 

 high ground, where the going was capital. The Master, second 

 whip, Bobby Hargreaves, Haig, Wise, and Furse abreast of hounds, 

 the rest closing up. The first whip has a fall early in the run, and 

 is left with a horse without a bridle, or a bridle without a horse, we 

 forget which. Graham's horse gave him a fall, and very nearly a 

 second. De Tomkyn's slithered on to his nose, but got up cleverly. 

 Burrowes arrived with a broken hat, which looked suspicious, and 

 so the first line ended. Rather a crowd at the check in a narrow 

 and dusty road. 



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