44 The Lanarkshire and Renfrezvshire Hunt. 



It would have been interesting to hear what these people were muttering 

 to themselves as they drew the homeward rein. Mind you, there were 

 no motor cars waiting to take you home in those days. It is sometimes 

 an easy matter to get a fox out, and there was a very keen pedestrian in the 

 Houston country who could dig one out with his hands. This is an absolute 

 fact, as I saw him do it. 



On ioth February a meet was held at Giffen, and nothing was done 

 until reaching Brownmuir, where a fox was marked to ground. When I 

 state that such a combination as Donald Sinclair and two Highland deer- 

 stalkers were wielding spades, one can imagine that the fun was not long 

 delayed. They ran this fox very fast by Auchengrange through West 

 Gavin into Skiff, where they changed to a fresh specimen, and a fine gallop 

 came to an end. 



The intricacies of Renfrewshire hunting territory would in some places 

 test the pluck of any mounted participant, and those who have ridden over 

 a line similar to that traversed on 17th February would hardly care to do 

 so again. The meet was at Castle Semple East Lodge, and it was a real 

 moorland fox that was found in Barcraig. Going away to the right of 

 Ward Farm and wide to the left of Carruth, hounds ran by Ladymuir and 

 Muirshields to the left of Branchal, through Hardridge and Muirhouse to 

 Burnbank. Most of the field got as far as this point, but it would have 

 been asking for trouble to proceed farther. Hounds went on over Greenock 

 Moor for Garvocks and had the remainder of this run to themselves. One 

 felt rather sorry for Molyneux, who had to face a blinding snowstorm 

 over an impossible bit of country in his efforts to recover the pack. 



There was a capital run to follow a meet at Caldwell House on 7th 

 March, and at this time Mr. W. C. Dickson was there to welcome a 

 numerous company. They found a fox near the house, and ran slowly 

 up to Caldwell Law, where hounds got on better terms, and ran fast by 

 Double Woods and Plymuir just above Peatman's Moss to go on by Caplaw 

 to Bardrain. Here the hounds unfortunately divided, but the main body 

 went on by Glenpatrick Carpet Works and Foxbar, up the hill by the right 

 of Gleniffer, past Sergeantlaw and over the valley between Threepgrass 

 and Game Wood, finally running to ground at Roundle Wood. Time, 

 one hour and twenty minutes. 



The season ended on 28th March with a meet at Auchinbothie, and 



