254 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



of the flagstaff in the hope of again seeing the vanished 

 pack. In the faihng Hght of a winter's afternoon the 

 scene from that elevation was one of utter desolation. 

 There was neither sign nor sound of any living thing, 

 and nothing was left but to get the tired horse off the 

 moor while the light served, and then to Chagford to 

 claim a night's hospitality for the beast from Mr. 

 Spiller. 



Two brilliant gallops fell to the lot of the pack 

 during the Hunt Week that season. 



The first, on the 6th April, 1905, ended, after fifty- 

 five minutes with barely a check, with a kill in the 

 open at Scobitor. The fox was found in the old 

 mine workings under Birch Tor and took us over 

 Headland and Challacombe Warrens, up to the top 

 of Hamildon and down the other side by Wood Pitts 

 and Stone Farm ; across the Widdicombe valley by 

 Honeybag Tor and Holwell Tor to WTiite Gate, 

 thence through Newhouse Mire to Scobitor. 



The second took place on the 8th of the same 

 month, the fixture being Warren Inn, to draw by 

 invitation the country hunted by the Mid-Devon, of 

 which Mr. Spiller was at that time master. This run 

 was very fast throughout, and lasted forty-seven 

 minutes, at the end of which the fox went to ground 

 in Fernworthy Newtake near the spot where he had 

 been found. The run was in a ring, and the points 

 touched were Hemstone Rocks, Metherell Bog, Lake- 

 land, Birch Tor, Caroline Mine, \Miite Ridge and 

 Assycombe Hill. 



A hard day, and one of interest in many respects, 

 was the 12th September, 1905. The pack met at 

 7 a.m. at Challacombe, the place after which Mr. 

 Singer had christened the horse that won the 

 St. Leger for him the day after that of which I 



