THOMAS WESTLAKE 105 



ford as huntsman to the Haldon Harriers. He is 

 active and keen still, and though, in consequence of 

 a severe accident four or five years ago, he had to 

 stand down and let a younger man take the horn for 

 a season or two, he has now resumed command in 

 the field. 1 



Major Tucker's diary shews that the country was 

 full of foxes when Westlake first took the South 

 Devon, and the frequency with which hounds changed 

 foxes was one of the prevailing causes for the scarcity 

 of kills. The foxes around Torbryan and Dyer's 

 Wood continually baffled the pack and appeared to 

 bear charmed lives during the first season or two. 

 Notwithstanding this, many a good run took place 

 even in those early days. Thus on the 13th November, 

 1865, a "really good run " of an hour and thirty-two 

 minutes is recorded in the diary just mentioned, all 

 around the Ogwell country, resulting in losing the 

 fox in the fateful Dyer's Wood. That was after a 

 quick thirty-six minutes to ground in the morning. 

 On the 20th of the same month, three foxes were 

 hunted unsuccessfully in the Denbury country, the 

 foot-people interfering with the sport ; and of three 

 others found in and around Stover on the 27th, two 

 got to ground and one was lost, the latter after an 

 hour and a half's slow hunting run. Better luck 

 attended the pack on Haldon, where, curiously 

 enough, they more frequently killed than on the 

 Newton side. On the last day of the same month of 

 November a field of sixty, which included Sir Walter 

 Carew and his two daughters and Mr. Whidborne 

 and his daughter, met the pack at Wood. A Lind- 



^ I regret to say that since these lines were written Derges has died from 

 the effects of a chill after hunting the Haldon all through the past season of 

 1915-16. 



