66 HUNTING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 



I thought I should either lose them in the big woodland or 

 that they would change on to a fresh fox. They entered the 

 cover just where a small stream crosses the Lead road, and 

 there is a gate and a road into the wood 300 yards away. I 

 was going for this gate when I heard the growling of hounds 

 close to me, and, looking over the wall where the trees were 

 very thick, I found that hounds had killed their fox. I left 

 my horse in the lane and soon had the fox over the wall, and 

 as hounds were trying to pull their victim from me, I put 

 the dead fox over the horse's shoulder and quickly mounted 

 again. Hounds, knowing their fox was there, came all round, 

 and I rode down the lane to Scales Cross, then three miles 

 further to Whittonstall, where I saw a gleam of scarlet, and 

 met Master, huntsman, and a great number of the field, who 

 were looking for hounds, but were a good deal wide of the 

 line the fox had taken more than an hour before. The fox 

 was broken up in a field adjoining the village of Whittonstall, 

 and I had both brush and mask for many years. As far as my 

 recollection goes, hounds never checked after crossing the 

 Derwent until they reached Hindley, and when they had re- 

 covered the line they went steadily on. The pace was never 

 very great except just at first, but there was a good holding 

 scent from start to finish. 



This run took place — I am almost certain — ^in January, 

 1875, and here I may leave Colonel Cowen for a moment to 

 describe another fine hunt in which Hindley figured, and 

 which took place a year or two later, but came from the other 

 end of the country. And the hounds which gave the run were 

 a draft from the North Durham Kennel, which was for the 

 time being located at Riddlehamhope. The place just named, 

 it should be explained, is a somewhat famous shooting box 

 on the moors, a good five miles west of Blanchland, rather 

 " extra parochial " as far as the Braes of Derwent or the 

 Hay don hunt are concerned. Indeed, I imagine that Colonel 

 Cowen never drew the coverts near it, but the keepers were 

 complaining of the damage done to grouse by foxes, and the 

 then shooting tenant, the late Mr. " Dicky " Johnson, of 

 Sherbum Hall, arranged with Mr. Maynard that Captain 

 Apperley should bring up some of the old hounds from the 

 North Durham Kennel, hunt, and if possible kill some of these 



