THE BRAES OF DERWENT COUNTRY. 97 



great hunt with a very long point, and the curious part of it 

 was that the fox as he reached the Derwent had the Sneep 

 coverts on his right and the Shotley plantations on his left, 

 but went straight on into a strange country, and apparently 

 with no big covert in view. 



Another fox a year or two earlier went from Newfield to 

 Mickley, hounds covering the six miles between the two places 

 without a check, and I think this fox got to ground. This 

 gallop followed a first draw, and hounds were brought back 

 to the INIinsteracres neighbourhood. At which covert they 

 found their afternoon fox I do not remember for certain, 

 but am sure it was on the east side of the high road, either 

 at the whin (Letch Houses) or the Sawmill Wood. Anyhow, 

 they made a seven-mile point to the Haydon covert at 

 Dukesfield, and the larger portion of the pack went out on 

 the west side, while the others got on to a fresh fox in the 

 covert. The master, who was the huntsman, and all the field 

 with the exception of Mr. Dickinson and myself, remained 

 in Dukesfield, the volume of sound suggesting that the full 

 pack was there, though hidden to view ; but we two, who had 

 somehow reached the western boundary, had seen what had 

 taken place, and did our best to follow. Hounds, however, 

 had a long start, and they reached Steel Crag before we got 

 near them, and then turned left handed. After a time we 

 succeeded in stopping them on the open moor, and I had the 

 rather difficult job of taking them some fourteen miles to 

 kennel in the dark. Luckily, many of them knew my voice, 

 and Mr. Dickinson was with me as far as Dukesfield, by which 

 covert we went, thinking we might pick up the master and 

 the rest of the pack. I am sorry I cannot give the dates of 

 these hunts, but I have mislaid all my old hunting diaries, 

 and also the cuttings from the Field in which the runs were 

 described at the time. Those who took part in the runs 1 

 have mentioned will doubtless remember them. And while 

 I am on the subject of hunts from the western end of the 

 Braes of Derwent country, I may bring to recollection a 

 joint meet of the Braes of Derwent and Haydon hounds. 

 This meet was held after there had been a complete recon- 

 ciliation between the two hunts, and took place at Blanchland. 

 Though the place is so remote there was a field of over a 



