106 HUNTING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 



onoe, and had to find our way tlirough two colliery villages. 

 But the ground was bare everywhere, and hounds had to work 

 for the line all the timei, and thus we were able to keep near 

 them until we reached ai place named Straightneck Wood, on 

 the return journey. There we had toi lead over a chasm and 

 a wired tram line, and when we got clear of what would be 

 better called Crooked Neck Wood, hounds were three-quarters 

 of a mile ahead, and the field, who had waited for a whole 

 hour, were with them. However, we caught them up at 

 Greencroft, and saw the end. The pace from the Ponti to 

 Bumhopeside was very fast, and at the Moor Leazes check 

 two horses were sO' beaten that their riders had to get> off 

 and lead them to- Lanchester, where they were left for the 

 night. In all there were fifteen ridersi at the end, including 

 three or four ladies, and I may add that, the country covered 

 in the latter part of the run was just as good as that encoun- 

 tered in the middle part was bad. But in all my experience 

 I never knew of a. fox going from the Pont intO' the Tanfield 

 count^ry except on this particular occasion, and on nineteen 

 Pont days out of twenty hounds never go near a colliery or 

 colliery village. 



Immediately below the Pont Gill, where the Pont, stream 

 reaches the Derwent, there are some wooded banks, and at 

 times a Pont fox will take hounds along these banks tO' the 

 Gibsid© coverts, which are on the same side of the stream, 

 but several miles lower down. Indeed, the East Lodge at 

 Gibside is no more than half a dozen miles from Newcastle, 

 and for the Gibsid© coverts hounds meet at Gibside Hall, 

 Rowlands Gill, or the Gibside Watergate. The principal 

 coverts on the estate, which is owned by Lord Strathmore, 

 are the West. Wood and Snipes Dean, and the West. Wood 

 is usually the first draw and a certain find. There are, how- 

 ever, many pitfalls from old mine workings hereabouts, and 

 foxes usually cross the park to Snipes Dean, though occa- 

 sionally one goes into the open on the south side. Snipes 

 Dean is a beautiful covert, but not noted for great runs, and, 

 as a rule, there is much riding up and down the rides, a great 

 deal of covert hunting, and unless a fox crosses the Derwent, 

 no great amount of sport. Parts of the covert, too, are bad 

 scenting ground, so much so, indeed, that when a fox is 



