198 HUNTING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 



" ' 1872 was the last year of Mr. Hall's mastership, 

 he taking the hounds in 1865. The pack belonged to 

 the late Lord Redesdale, and Mr. Hall engaged Stephen 

 Goodall as huntsman, v/hilst he hunted a pack of bitches, 

 which he had bought. This arrangement gave us the 

 finest seven years' sport I ever saw with the Heythrop, 

 and the run I am about to describe I have always con- 

 sidered the best in every point (but one) I have ever 

 seen in forty-four years' hunting. On December 16th, 

 1872, the Heythrop met here (North Aston). The weather 

 was fine and open, but we made a bad start, chopping 

 one fox and running another to ground without any run. 

 Then we drew a little osier bed close to Clifton Mill, 

 on the bank of the Cherwell (our boundary). It was 

 apparently blank, but when we were two fields beyond 

 it there was a holloa, so we galloped back, and were told 

 by a member of the bunt, who was a little late, that he 

 had seen a fox go away. I held up my hat to Hall, who 

 came back, and laid on the hounds quite quietly, when 

 they settled at once, and this great run began. The 

 fox made first to Deddington, then, leaving that on his 

 right, went up the Duns Tew Vale to Hauk Hill; passed 

 that on his left, and, having Newington on his right 

 and Wiggington on his left, went on up to Wiggington 

 Heath. Passed that on his left, to Tadmarton, Swallow- 

 cliff e Park, and Sibford. Here, close to Sibford Rough, 

 we lost, owing to the fox being chased by a sheepdog 

 on Sibford Grounds Farm — nine miles from point to 

 point, and twelve as we ran; time, two hours and thirty 

 minutes. ' 



" So you see it was not fast, but a grand, straight, 

 hunting run. 1 do not remember any particular check, 

 but we kept going on at a fair hunting pace. I think 

 I was the only one who got a second horse at Wiggington 

 Heath. I had my two best ones — a white at first, and 

 finished on a black. ' Shotley ' and Hermon-Hodge 

 must have had a terrible ride to Oxford, more than 

 twenty miles, and a pitch-dark night. I have often 

 wondered how and when they got home. It was hard 

 lines to be proctorised at the end ! The last field but 



