The Lanarkshire and Renfrezvshire Hunt. 45 



with a fox found here hounds hunted around the district for forty-five 

 minutes ere they killed in the open near Gallowhill. They afterwards had 

 a very enjoyable hunt from Erskine. During this season a total of twenty- 

 one and a half brace of foxes were killed — above the average of recent years. 



By the time another season came round we were in the throes of the 

 Great War, and the destiny of foxhunting in Renfrewshire became proble- 

 matical. All the eligible followers were, of course, called up, and nearly all 

 the hunters commandeered by the Government — a position such as that 

 to be faced by every hunt in the Kingdom. 



The necessity of keeping the country open and killing the foxes where 

 too plentiful had to be overcome in some manner, and at the annual general 

 meeting it was decided that the Master and hunt staff should carry on in 

 the best possible way. It was an unenviable task for Master and hunts- 

 man, for the glories of the chase had departed, and when hounds were out 

 there was hardly anyone around to render assistance in the way of viewing 

 a fox. Still they continued to keep up the average two days a week, and 

 it was perhaps just as well that foxes were only really plentiful in certain 

 localities. When scent permitted, hounds ran in great style, and some of 

 the runs brought off were quite as good as often associated with a season 

 under ordinary conditions. 



On 6th March, 1915, when the Master was unavoidably absent, and 

 his brother (Mr. J. J. Barclay) was in charge, they had a wonderful day's 

 sport. The meet was at Craig North Farm, near Lugton, and they ran 

 their first fox through the grounds of Dunlop House and Damhead Wood 

 to ground on the edge of Grange Moor. The great run came in the 

 afternoon with a Caldwell fox, and at a scorching pace hounds ran by 

 Blacloch Head nearly to Cuff hill and back to Caldwell. Continuing to the 

 left of Hall of Caldwell to Caldwell they went on as fast as ever along the 

 hill by Foreside Strip, right handed down the incline and over the railway 

 and main road near Neilston right on to Neilston Pad. This remarkable 

 hunt was by no means finished yet, for hounds went streaming along to the 

 right of the Pad by Dodhill towards Eaglesham and round in a half circle 

 to Dodhill again, where they killed this fine old fox on the edge of the moor 

 about 5.30 p.m. The time from start to finish was just short of two hours, 

 and for the greater part of the journey the pace was a veritable cracker. 

 Those conversant with the country traversed can readily imagine that few 



