A RUN WITH MR. WARDES HOUNDS. 171 



lid of their extra leisure at the nearest public house.* 

 There is very frequently a most excellent scent in a 

 snow ; I recollect some years since, when Mr. Warde 

 hunted Berkshire, seeing a capital run from that well 

 known cover, Stype, near Hungerford ; we met late, 

 and after drawing some time, found on the hanging- 

 side towards the Kennet, which we crossed twice, and 

 after a very severe run, were unfortunately defeated, 

 by changing our fox in Marlborough forest. The 

 snow, which was much drifted, was above tliree feet 

 deep in many places, and I remember WiHiam Neverd, 

 who was at that time Mr. Warde's huntsman, making 

 one or two excellent hits himself by the fox's pads. The 

 winter of 1813-14, which must be still in the remem- 

 brance of most sportsmen as affording less open wea- 

 ther during the hunting months than may have been 

 known for half a century, was perhaps one of the 

 hardest recorded in the memory of man ; the whole 

 country had the appearance of Salisbury plain, only 

 for the trees ; gates, hedges, and even rivers, were in 

 many places invisible, and the snow being frozen ex- 

 tremely hard, it was an easy matter to ride over fences 

 and other hidden dangers, without the labour of 

 jumping. During a great part of that dreadful season, 

 the Pytchley hounds, then the property of Lord Al- 

 thorp, hunted the Northamptonshire woodlands regu- 

 larly, having excellent sport, and killing many foxes. 



Two years ago, the following anecdote was copied 

 from the Forfar paper. On Tuesday, the third instant, 



* During a hard frost the courts and door ways of the kennel should invariably 

 be covered with straw to prevent the hounds from slipping about and laming 

 themselves, the litter should be shook over, well cleaned, and partially renewed as 

 often as required. 



