THE BRAES OF DERWENT COUNTRY. 65 



was I have forgotten, nor do I think that sport on that day 

 was out of the ordinary. And here I must explain that I 

 was never by any means a regular follower of the pack in 

 Colonel Cowen's time, for when I was in the district I hunted 

 in the Durham country as frequently as possible, the days of 

 the last-named pack suiting me better, and also the fact that 

 I was well within reach of all the best of the North Durham, 

 and had been, so to speak, entered in that country. All the 

 same, I saw a good deal of fun at odd times with the Braes 

 of Derwent, especially during the middle period of Colonel 

 Cowen's mastership, and it is my aim to' deal as much 

 as possible with incidents at which I was present. I 

 may perhaps be allowed to mention one or two days with 

 Colonel Cowen which I shall never forget. One of these was 

 a hunt I had all by myself, and which was, indeed, one of the 

 best hunts I ever saw in the country. I was never a jealous 

 man to hounds, and I have always regretted that I had no 

 company in this particular hunt, but my having it all to 

 myself was purely accidental. Hounds met at Priestfield 

 (where there was a brea-kfast) and were put into the Pont Gill 

 from the eastern side. As is usual at the Pont, they found 

 quickly, and went up the Gill, the large field, which included 

 several strangers, going up with them, but outside the Gill. 

 Personally I always preferred to be on the Hamsterley side of 

 this covert, and crossed the Gill. After a time hounds 

 divided, and about twelve couples took a fox over to what is 

 now called the Chimney Wood, adjoining Hamsterley Hall. 

 I shouted for all I was worth, but the rest of the pack were 

 running another fox in the main Pont Gill, and no one came. 

 I then went in pursuit, caught hounds up at Long Close 

 Gate, and crossed the river behind them at the Derwentcote 

 ford. Going on fast, they skirted Milkwell Burn and went 

 north of Ravenside, and over the ridge just east of Hedley- 

 on-the-Hill. They next ran over a fine bit of country to 

 Hindley, where they checked in the garden at Hindley Hall. 

 They hit it off of their own accord, and went over the pastures 

 of Bromley Farm to Fotherley, going on by the latest used 

 point to point course to North Kellas plantation. Hounds 

 were not 200 yards in front of me when they went over the 

 boundary wall of the plantation, and my heart sank, for 



