1885. i67 



December 31st. — 



A late return home last night had its 

 compensation for the Hunt servants in a late 

 start this morning ; and the}- had no distance 

 to get to the meet, which was fixed for the 

 Kennels. There was a good field out, and it 

 was evident that sport was before us, as we 

 were fated to jump a stone wall to get to our 

 first draw — the gorsy hillside which almost 

 forms part of the Wheatsheaf. Hounds got 

 away on good terms w4th their fox up the hill 

 for the Slates, which we left on our left, and 

 Ridge on our right, across the Charlton Hore- 

 thorne Road, and over the valley, where the 

 brooks spread traps for the unwary, on, into, and 

 through Charlton Wood, heading for Maperton, 

 and checked in the first road, at the end of an 

 excellent twent3'-five minutes' gallop. Haynes 

 tried in vain to recover the line, and eventuall}' 

 marked him to ground in a deep gull}^ hole in 

 Charlton Wood. This run was the feature of 

 the day, though we subsequently killed two 

 foxes in Everlanes, but they had no histor}- 

 attached to them ; indeed, one had onl}- a mangy 



