190 HUNTING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 



decided that our tactics were of little use, for our presence 

 kept the rats inside, and the ferrets could not turn them 

 out. Somewhat sorrowfully we departed, with a bag of some- 

 thing under fifty rats ; but we had found out how success might 

 be achieved, and a certain day, about a week later, was fixed 

 for a second attempt. The idea now was to bring a whole 

 army of ferrets and shake them out on the top of one of the 

 liveliest stacks, and our ancient — I think his name was Grimes 

 — undertook to obtain over a score of ferrets within the next 

 few days. Luckily, the old man was as good as his word, 

 for he appeared on the appointed day with a sack full of bor- 

 rowed ferrets, and various other cherished ones in ferret bags 

 and in his pockets. The frost had gone, and the weather was 

 genial, and I think, though I am not quite sure, that we 

 had another man with a better lot of terriers. Anyhow, the 

 sport was vastly better. A certain stack was first chosen, and 

 someone climbed to the top, which was not very high, and 

 shook out the main body of the ferrets from a sack. Then 

 for a few minutes there was an extraordinary scene, for after 

 a minute or two the rats began to bolt, literally by the dozen. 

 In fact, they came far too fast, and in too many places, 

 hundreds escaping the terriers and sticks. Still, a fair number 

 were killed, the ferrets this time having all the best of the 

 fighting. After this stack was finished we went to another, 

 and continued operations until both ferrets and terriers were 

 " done," and when we counted up we had, as far as my 

 memory goes, some 300 dead rats laid out on the ground. It 

 was, in fact, a great day's sport., and, I feel certain, a most 

 unusual one. 



To go back to foxhunting, I have had a long letter from 

 Mr. Baron Webster, who puts me right on the subject of 

 how the country was hunted forty-five years ago on the east 

 side of IMalvern. Mr. Webster says that at the date referred 

 to the North Cot&wold did exist, but was known as Lord 

 Coventry's, the country then hunted by that nobleman, and 

 resigned by him to Mr. Rushout in 1873, having no connec- 

 tion with the! present Croome, that was known as " Lord 

 Coventry's " from 1873 until his lordship's retirement in 

 1882. What I said was that the Croome country was then 

 Lord Coventry's, and, according to Baily's Hunting Directory, 



