250 COVERT-SIDE SKETCHES. 



I have said in a former chapter that roehuck hunting had 

 dropped out of our list of English sports of late years. Since 

 that was written I am very glad to say that I have heard of 

 its revival, and I sincerely trust it may again take root and 

 flourish. The following account appeared in the Sporting Gazette 

 of March 30th, 1878 ; some one signing himself " Harkaway" 

 writes as follows : — ''Friday, 15th, brings us to Friamayne, the 

 seat of Mr. H. Cockeram, where the grandson of our worthy 

 old squire, Mr. E. Farquharson, turned up with sixteen couple 

 of rare short-legged harriers, with Mr. Fortt to put them to him, 

 to do battle with the wild roebuck. After doing justice to 

 the hunting breakfast so hospitably given by Mr. Cockeram, 

 with Mrs. and Miss Cockeram's kind invitation to all comers — 

 amongst whom I noticed all the elite of Weymouth, Dor- 

 chester, and its neighbourhood — we trotted off to Warmwell 

 Washpond, which did not hold the wily animal. We went on 

 to Knighton Wood, which belongs to our worthy county M.P. 

 We found first a doe, which these little, sharp, stout-hearted 

 hounds hustled up pretty sharp, when luckily we changed on to 

 the buck, which had a splendid pair of antlers. He gave us a 

 good big ring, all heath, and eventually got to his old quarters 

 again. However, Mr. Farquharson, who is quite at home with his 

 little plucky pack, was hot at him, and forced him out through 

 Mr. Baunton's withy-bed, across Mr. Cockeram's coverts, straight 

 across the meadows and heath to Warmwell, where he well- 

 nigh beat our young master. Nothing daunted, he persevered, 

 and found he had laid down in the laurels, from which he 

 roused him, and had another good gallop, in which I was sorry 

 to see Miss Cockeram came to grief, but in a moment she was 

 in the pigskin again, and careering after her brother. The 

 latter did all he could to secure a kill, but the constant changes 

 in fresh deer baffled everything, so Mr. Farquharson discreetly 

 stopped his hounds." 



I must say I was delighted to see this account, as our choice 

 of animals for the chase in England is so limited that it is a 



