118 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



and light ; scent was good enough for anything, but not too 

 good to deprive hounds of a chance of doing good work, 

 or the field of seeing it. Most of it was in an unknown 

 country to the North Stafford. There were just enough 

 hard riders out to make every one ride his very best. 

 We wound up with a kill, and some of us did not get home 

 till nearly midnight. What more could a sportsman 

 desire ? Dickins's short account in his diary of this memor- 

 able day is very characteristic of the man, and reads as 

 follows : — 



" Bird-in-Eand. — Drew Draycot blank and Birchwood Park, but found in 

 Brindley's Wood. Ran through Chartley Park into the Meynell country to 

 Blithbury, and right away to Yoxall, and killed him. A capital run, a straight 

 thirteen miles." 



It will be noted that there is not a superfluous word 

 here, and certainly no exaggeration of the merits of the 

 run or of the distance traversed, and not a word about 

 the long and weary jog home at night. The present 

 writer's own diary entry is — 



" Hunting at Draycot Woods. Red-letter day. Found at Brindley's Covert, 

 and had grand run, killing at Yoxall. C. J. B. left at Blithbury. Dined at 

 Caverswall Castle. Very late." 



The season ended with a moderate day's sport at 

 Trentham on April 8th ; the record for 1881-82 being 

 seventy-six foxes killed, and twenty-nine run to ground. 

 Hunting altogether one hundred and three days. A very 

 fair season's sport indeed. 



The season of 1882-83 was a fair average season for 

 sport. We take the following from Dickins's diary : — 



" November 6th, 1882. Woore. — Found in Canridden. Ran to Dorrington and 

 killed. Found a second in Admiral's Gorse. Ran a fast ring round by GoUing's 

 Rough to Canridden, through to Buerton Gorse and to Buerton village. A 

 good day. 



'^November 27th, 1882. Blrd-in-Hand. — Found a brace in Hose Wood ; got 

 away. Ran fast to Birchwood Park, and on past Chartley Gorse to Gratwich and 

 clashed with the Meynell hounds, and lost our fox in Chartley Park. Then drew 

 Fradswell Heath, Ran fast to Chartley, to ground in the park." 



The following cheery account of a day's sport on 

 Monday, January 15th, 1883, is from the Field of the 

 following Saturday (January 20th) : — 



