28 HUNTING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 



from the nearest farmhouse. But difficulties soon arose, for 

 the drain forked quite close to where the fox had gone in, and 

 at least a couple of hounds had disappeared, and had 

 apparently stuck somewhere. Local labourers kept coming 

 up, and at length the Master shouted, " Do any of you men 

 know the lie of this drain ? " And then Cuddy, who had been 

 watching the proceedings, quietly observed, " Those men knaw 

 nought, but here's one coming who aught to knaw the drain, 

 for he was about bred up in't." This from a remarkably silent 

 man was thought to be final and conclusive, and full charge 

 was given to the newcomer, who quickly liberated the hounds, 

 and a few minutes later drew the fox with his own hands, and 

 held him out to the Ma&ter in the simplest way, evidently ex- 

 pecting that as he himself knew how to handle a fox other 

 people would be able to take it from his hand just as easily. 

 Hounds were in a distant comer of the field, but, as a matter 

 of course, they seemed to know the moment of liberation, and 

 after they had broken their fox up (it was now quite dark, 

 so that there was no question of law) we adjourned to Cuddy's 

 house, not far away, and were regaled on cake and port wine. 

 I was never in the house except on that occasion, but I re- 

 member the walls were decorated with hunting prints, which 

 alternated with pictures of fat, prize-winning cattle. Shortly 

 after that date poor Cuddy had a shocking accident. He was 

 trotting his horse in the dark along the back lane of the 

 village when he was caught round the neck by a clothes line, 

 pulled off, and severely injured, and, if memory serves, he did 

 not live long afterwards. 



The hill, which reaches its highest points about Hedley 

 Hope and Tow Law, and divides the Browney and Dearness 

 valleys, acts as a sort of natural barrier to the Lanchester 

 portion of the North Durham country but beyond and slightly 

 to the west it is a triangle, the points of which are Tow Law, 

 Witton-le-Wear, and Wolsingham, and at one time this was 

 very favourite hunting ground. Now, however, mining opera- 

 tions have spoilt all the eastern part, and though hounds meet 

 both at Witton-le-Wear and Wolsingham, they only go occa- 

 sionally to those places which are very remote from the kennels. 

 The river Wear divides the North Durham from the Zetland 

 country and west of Bishop Auckland, and either pack may 



