182 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



the Field a capital account of tlie day, which we venture 

 to reprint. From the Field, March 21st, 1891 : 



NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



After the recent bitterly cold winds, a fine, mild morning, preceded by a day's 

 rain, and with a rising barometer, no donbt accounted for the very large field 

 that mustered at Highfields on Monday, the IGth inst., including a large contingent 

 of Cheshire gentlemen, and the usual complement of sporting farmers in the 

 district. The elements were at last in favour of a good day's sport, and a very 

 general remark was, " There ought to be a scent to-day ! " We were not dis- 

 appointed. Hounds had not been more than five minutes in Mr. Corbet's gorse 

 before a holloa on the Highfields side informed us that a fox had gone away. 

 The bitches were soon out of covert and streaming away in the direction of 

 Golling's Rough. Leaving this covert on the right, hounds rattled their fox 

 along at a gi-eat pace as if for Betton, and on the left of Norton Wood and Cobs- 

 cot the line was close up to the Glades, where Reynard turned sharp to the left 

 near the Norton and Adderley road, and, running for some distance parallel witli 

 the North Stafford Railway, went on straight for Bellaport, a favourite line with 

 foxes on this side, and over a fine bit of galloping country well known to most 

 followers of the Hunt this season, and including several trappy fences — one with 

 a wide ditch on the landing side, which to-day accounted for a few empty saddles. 

 Leaving Bellaport Hall on the left, the little ladies seemed to race on, if possible, 

 a little faster than before, down the hill for Bellaport Wood. Reynard did not 

 enter any of the coverts here, but went direct for Bearstone, leaving Bearstoue 

 Wood on the left, and crossing the North Stafford Railway at this point, where 

 hounds soon after checked for the first time on the plough ; but, Dickins hitting 

 off the line almost directly, away we went again, crossing the Bearstone and 

 Norton road, and fording the river Tern at Bearstone Mill. Here, after crossing 

 the Woore and Market Drayton road, and leaving Winnington and the Rough 

 •Carncoe on the right, hounds drove him along at top speed over the big grass 

 •fields at Willoughbridge, through the Deercote and into Willoughbridge Park, 

 where he did not linger a moment, as hounds were away on the bottom side of 

 the covert before the leading horsemen could get through, and, sticking well to 

 their fox over a couple of dry ploughs, went on by Park Cottage and Hunger 

 Heath, Leaving the Wellings on his right, it was now pretty evident that Maer 

 Hills was the point of this good fox. Entering the Black Brook Bogs from this 

 side, a holloa in front over the road near Maer took most of the field round, but 

 hounds hunted the line through the bogs and brought it up to the Berth Hill, 

 where our fox was seen to enter dead beat, and only two minutes in front of 

 hounds. A holloa on the Maer Hall side, however, brought Dickins off the line 

 of the hunted fox, and, returning again to the Berth Hill, hounds could make 

 nothing more of it. Our fox must have got to ground here, or gone on into the hills. 

 This was a most enjoyable gallop, very fast up to Bearstone (thirty-seven minutes), 

 and pretty hunting right through — a seven-mile point, and about nine miles as 

 hounds ran. Time, fifty minutes. 



Lord Stafford then ordered a move back to Buerton. Hounds had scarcely 

 got into this covert when a fox was seen to go away from a pit-hole close by, 

 and, Dickins getting the bitches quickly on the line, they went away on the 

 'College Fields side, which covert was left on the right. Crossing the Woore and 

 Audlem road near Buerton Hall, and running within one field of the Three 



