LONG POINTS AND THE HEYTHROP. 201 



quite understood, for between Eynsham and Oxford there 

 were then — and may be still for all I know — trees alongside 

 the road for a considerable distance, and quite half the many 

 market carts I met were on the wrong side of the road, 

 especially in this dark district. Very few of the carters 

 carried lights — I imagine they were not obliged to by law 

 at th.at date- — and man.y of the passengers appeared tO' be 

 " market merry," but luckily on© could hear them talking 

 and singing long before they could be actually seen. 

 Another funny getting home from the Hejrthrop I have in 

 mind. It was also a tandem case, and as our tandem reached 

 a certain turnpike gate some four or five miles from Oxford, 

 we were greeted with a loud shout of " Stop ! " We pulled 

 up, and found a closed cab waiting, which had been sent by 

 James Higgs, livery stable-keeper, of Long Wall, to meet us, 

 Higgs having discovered that the proctors were lying in wait 

 for the tandem nearer Oxford. Well, we were just about 

 getting into the cab when a four-in-hand drag appeared from 

 the same direction by which we had come. This drag was, 

 I think, owned by certain Guards officers, who used to hunt 

 from Bicester at that time. Anyhow, it was lightly laden, 

 and when the man who was driving had been told what all 

 the fuss was about, he had a happy thought, which was that 

 two of his party should go on in the tandem, while our tandem 

 load went into Oxford on the coach. The coach, which was 

 known to the proctors, went in unchallenged, but the dogcart 

 was pulled up, and the proctors thoroughly sold. 



Further recolleotions of the Heythrop include an opening 

 meet a.t Heythrop House whilst it was being restored, 

 and when a huge crowd were entertained in a large 

 marquee placed on the lawn ; of a very fine hunt in the centre 

 of the country, and of good sport, from Bradwell Grove 

 and a covert near Bruern Abbey, the name of which I 

 do not remember. I also have a queer recollection of an inci- 

 dent which took place in Tar Wood in the autumn of 1872, 

 and before the regular season had commenced. Hounds were, 

 in fact, cubhunting, and were having a lot of covert work 

 with cubs which showed no inclination of leaving the shelter 

 of the wood. There were a lot of people out, for the regular 

 Reason was close at hand, and after a good deal of galloping 



