MOTHER HUNT 121 



2. The Swavesey Ruu, Lent term 1881. The meet was Swavesey 

 village at Mr. Long's. After two ringing runs of some duration, 

 both hares being killed, a hare was found close to the village : she 

 ran straight to Long Stanton, about three miles, then gradually 

 swinging to the right crossed the Madingley Eoad about the fourth 

 milestone from Cambridge ; here luckily E. E. Barclay met us on 

 horseback, and viewing the hare over the road went on with the 

 hounds and pulled her down on the top of the hill — the point was 

 about seven miles. From the top of the hill the field could be seen 

 stretched out for two miles. Hunt led the field from start to finish 

 — his rage will be recollected by those present when, at a check, he 

 asked a deaf stone-breaker where the hare had gone to, and after 

 much shouting was told "To Bath." Among those who saw this 

 run from start to finish were Cooke, Shearburn, Steele, Mildmay, 

 Stainer, Baker, Burges, Lawson-Smith. 



3. This very fine run was made from Mr. Mason's farm at Water- 

 beach. After one wide ring the hare ran straight towards Ely and lay 

 down near some old brick works. On getting up again she ran in 

 view across the fen for about half a mile and was killed close to Ely. 



Before closing this short account of the Himt period one must not 

 forget the riding days. These were mostly at Mr. Ivatt's of 

 Rampton. It was a sorry day for the Cambridge hirelings ; the field, 

 generally about twenty to thirty, distinguished themselves mostly by 

 the number of tosses they took. One day was memorable. The 

 field was seventeen, and the aggregate number of falls was thirty- 

 five. Two of the gallant sportsmen did not admit a fall, but one had 

 four and several two or three, the writer among them. One sports- 

 man, the present Sir W. W. Wynn, ended his tale of woe by jumping 

 into a large heap of very rotten manure in which his head dis- 

 appeared. 



The writer had one riding day to himself. He had been laid up 

 with rheumatism of the knees, brought on by wading in icy water in 

 the Fens in the pursuit of the wily snipe, and after being laid up ten 

 days and just able to walk, Barclay offered him his horse " Guts " to 

 ride out with the Beagles near the Backs. Now " Guts " was up to 

 sixteen stone and the rider was nine; furthermore " Guts " was full 



