HUNTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 10 July 1890, Page 28

HUNTING.

BIRCHWOOD HUNT CLUB.

The doings of thia club for the present season, not having to far appeared in the columns of the Witness, though the first half of the season Is now nearly a thing of the past, I once more come into the breach. I have had several inquiries made at to the doings of the paok from different localities in Southland and Otago, and even from a few Canterbury sportsmen, all of whom appear especially anxious and solicitous for information as to tbe manner in which the paok are adding to their already evergreen laurels in the hunting field and their chances pf securing a more lasting memorial of their nerve and good judgment in the shape of one or more of the Hunt Olub Oups now about to be temptingly held out to straight goers by the Christchurch, Ashburton, Dunedln, and Birchwood Hunt Clubs in the order named as to time of their appropriation. During the past two years the Birchwood Hunt Olub has been so well represented in the principal Hunt Gup as to cause members of kindred clubs at a distanoe to view with due deference their doings as chronicled in the Witness. First and foremost, the club's survival through the last four or five years of stagnation of trade and industry gives it some Interest. It has been nursed as it were in its infancy by the most worthy present and past master, Mr James Gardner, of Blrohwood, ■whoie estate tbe olub, till latterly, was very fittingly called after. It is generally known by readers of tbe hunting column of the Witness that the paok were the private property of Mr Gardner, and were hunted solely at his expense. They were the only private pack of the kind in the colonies at the time. It must strikingly occur to the greatest .novice of Nlmrod's followers that the expense of the hunt must have been enormous to Mr Gardner, especially when oarried out in such munificencti style as ii his wont in any undertaking that he is directly or indirectly concerned in. Consequently even this liberal sportsman found that his good nature was likely to redound rather severely from a pecuniary point of view on himself, and it then became known that with great reluotance he bad resolved to dißOontinue keeping a private paok and tbe necessary hunters and equipments any longer. With a view to retain the good old sport In the province, however, he dcoided to make a olub, if formed on proper lines, a present of the paok with the use of his lovely kennels for the season if required. After a little correspondence on the subject, a meeting of those favourable to a hunt club being formed was held. Fortunately for the Southern sportsmen, that enthusiastic follower of the ohaee, Mr G. M. Sell was secured for the ohalr. Mr Bell presides, as is well known, as one of the very best hosts when the merry peals of the dappled darlings are heard o'er the hills and dales and grassy plains of Want wood. Hlb tenaoity of purpoie. ably backed up by the support of Messrs A. B. Hare, James Ritchie, John Tenant, John Stevens, J. Dalgleish, jun., and others, among whom must not be omitted that untiring and ever-oourteous hon. secretary, Mr J5. F. Crouch, who has secured for Southland the survival and successful reorganisation on the soundest basis posslhle. of one of the best, if not the best, hunt clubs in New Zealand. Aiter a few preliminary meetings of intending members a hunt club was formed, and naturally enough the members unanimously asked Mr Gardner to kindl v accept the position of master of the hunt, and the services of Mr M'Kay, of Gummies Bush, were secured as huntsman.

The opening hunt of the season was fixed to be held at Birch wood on May 31, and ftll who heard of the fixture and had intentions of appearing knew that the vary best of sport was assured. Punctual to time. 230 on Saturday, May 31, wpre found the muster, his huntsman, and the honorary whips in perfect condition, well flanked with a picked field of 16 well-mounted followers of the horn and chase, anoougtt whom were Miss Mary Gardner, r'ding Honest Peter ; Miss Bell (of Wautwood), Wry Pecker; Mrs Spenser, Kitty; and other ladies of intentions not of the most inquisitive and straight-over-obstaolesort. The hounds were looking well, and were promptly laid on. The equines being in such rare form caused no groat surprise till they came to what iv known as the "stick-^m-all-up fence, ''which seldom more than three or four of the lea-ling division can negot'ate at the first time of asking. To the onlookers surprise every one of the 18, noble little band, cleared it without a baulk or falter, with the fair equestrians in prominent close attendance on huntsman and whips. The Oriwla crfek w*s the next obstacle that presented itself to the gaze of the impartinl colonial hunters, and of tha whole finld, strange to say only the oldest veteran. Waiau, and the youngest novice. Patchwork dared show the way. The former, ridden by Mr Oruegie flardner, and the latter, a young Oloth-of Gold colt, ably ridden by the huntsman, skimmed ovfer beautifully, but all the re«l, showed b'oken water. A mongst the vißitorß at tbe finish iiot.iceably was an acquisition to our field in Mr Thompson, riding a nice mount. P.arl. Mr Bell, ' n Tarq-iin, and Mr Mason, on The Jo!ce r , also acquitted thnmsehej pxceedingly well.

On Monday, June U. the followers au*in mus'-Tod fresh and well. Mid with the exception of n change to a 6tiff, nisuinu Hue, nothing occurred wortliy of mention nr Un* lnte d«itp. The moat notable change in the appointment of the field was that Mias Bell rode that, sterling fencer Pallor Boy, and as a matter of course was within audible distance of the dappled darlings' ringing mugio all the way— a remark which

also applies to the whole field with a rare exception unnecessary of note. Tuesday, June 3, broke with suoh poor omen of huntsmen's weather that it was reluctantly resolved to make two days suffice for the opening of the season, and all hands mad* up their minds to disperse, with happy reoolleotiona of the past and sanguine thoughts for the next run jover the master's estate at Birchwood. Saturday, June 7. arrived In due coutee, and at 2 p.m. a large concourse of invariably well-mounted humanity, nicely interspersed with those fitly donned In scarlet, was to be observed on that nice estate, Heddon Bush, presided over by the always genial, straight-going-always-to-the-fore, sterling sportsman, Mr John Tenant. This estate presents one of the finest bits of hunting country for a six or seven mile run that can be found in New Zealand, it is mostly good grasi going with big gone and post and rail obstacles nioely piant'ed at distances most suitable to the sport, and awkward doubles are no rarity. As would .be stops, mistakes, atid falls were in the ascendant scale (but invariably of the descending form). As a matter of course Mr Tenant's grand little chestnut gelding Sandy readily showed the way over what is best described by Lindsay Gordon's well read lines— '• Solid and tall are those big gorse walls That stretches before us on Tenant's station yonder. You must have at them pace or not at all, For 'twere better to halt than to ponder." However, In spite of spills and blunders, a good sportsman never went home from Heddon Bush with anything but a wish that another hunt was to be held on the morrow over the same country, becauie It goes without saying that it you come down, Tall Tenant is thereto picf you np and console you with a drop of re»l good "big jump fluid" out of a neat flask, and a cool remark that " that is not a bigfence ; it's only sft ll£in if you dear it." Since the 7oh of June the Birchwood Hunt Olub have enjoyed themselves and entertained their friends at Otautau, Thornbury, Eiverton, and Invercargill. over all sorts of fences and couutry, Including a wire fence or two, where some of the hunters were induced to try to Btrain a wire, with favourable results to everything exoept themselves, and the foolish riders that I bslieve now have made up their minds that wire Is bad for a horse to sight suocessfu'ly. THE BIROHWOOD HOVNDB AT WANTWOOD. Monday, June 30th, broke In a way that must have pleased every person within