132 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



what the exact Hne was, I know not. All I do know 

 is that I followed Dan North and George Loram 

 when they turned away from the rest of the field, 

 that we crossed the ugly bottom of Kiddens in the 

 course of a long run and ultimately marked our fox 

 to ground in a drain beneath a road close to Ideford 

 village at dark, and that Mr. Palk and his sister were 

 about the only other members of the field that caught 

 the pack again before the finish. 



The hunt was very strong in sporting farmers in 

 those days ; substantial men and first-rate sports- 

 men, who were always well mounted and knew all the 

 points in the game. There was George Loram from 

 near Exminster, mentioned just above, a fine specimen 

 of the British yeoman, whose weight was counter- 

 balanced by his good horsemanship and who had an 

 exceptional knowledge of hunting. He had a wonder- 

 ful voice, too, of which he made rather more use than 

 our field-master quite approved of. Then there were 

 White, of Ashcombe, on his bald-faced chestnut ; 

 Sam Archer of Doddiscombsleigh, whom none could 

 beat in that mountainous region ; Carroll Adams, 

 then farming under Sir Lydston Newman, now 

 prevented by rheumatism from doing more than go 

 out on wheels with the harriers ; Elliott of Crablake, 

 mounted on a well-bred one ; Paul of Lysons, a 

 yeoman farmer whose family have been settled in 

 that locality for centuries ; the two Annings ; 

 Jeremiah Strong of Pennycombe ; Mortimer of 

 Matford ; G. Short and H. Short of Dunsford ; 

 T. Pyle of Blackheath, G. Short of Cotley and John 

 Dymond of Humber. 



Many others there were whose names escape me at 

 this distance of time, but I must not omit John Wills, 

 tenant of Mr. Comyns of Wood, whose riding weight 



