THE BIRCH WOOD HOUNDS

Western Star, Issue 1383, 24 August 1889, Page 1

THE BIRCH WOOD HOUNDS

The morning of tho 1 17th f inst. broke coW f showery and gloomy,.and as fit had t ,rained hard nearly all the night the ■.pi'ospqcfsj of a good hualiog day wore infinitismal. The Heddon Bush country being big, the going "heavy, and the gorse hedges having heerf improved by ftvong .'posts and rails mti Sduoed where gaps and weak places existed,'.tha followers of the little pack knew 'that:they; had 'their work before them if the weather: Tvbuld allow tb'o master to attempt banting. ,At 12 o'clock matters- looked much bettor, J&id a glimpso of sunshine put some hope into 0& Atl o'clock prospects still imprbf6d,l and shortly party after party of. well-mOunted 'and ladies gentlo'men commencedifcei'arrive at' the homestead and settle down to cnjoy,.thoae good things that Mr Tennnnt's hospitality had so bountifully provided for the comfortdf his hunting friends. At 2 o'clock a movo-swaß made towards the stables, aud the rociov,al of saddles from hacks to hunters commenced. At 2.30 the Master with the pack rode tip to tho house and was quickly followed by tho wholo field to tho cattle paddock, (where the throw' off. Was to take pWce), and on! looking around the field I noticed the Master on'Sailor Boy; tho whips M'? F Woodward"atidiJack Pye on Sandy and Maxwellton; Mrs Spencer on Kitty; Miss Mary Gardner on Kobio; Mr Carnegy Gardner' on' Wry pecker;''!Mr Spencer on Norah ; Mr Tenuant on Ta'rq^ttin; Mr Bitchie on Ranger; Messrs James and William Drabble, upon two capital weightcarrying hunters; Mr StevoriaV'Mountaiueer; Mr J. Ba3stbn, Highland Chief; Mr L. McKinnor, Caithness; Mr. 11. HassoH, Bunyip ; and a few other lovers of the' sport who I do wot kuow, added to which two or three men upon "pull devil, pull, laker," .badly bitted and badly ridden horscf, who ought to have known hunting rules better than to ride in the '• against and over everybody" way they did, not only spoiling sport but endangering the livc3 of others by'galloping up to fences that they cannot until a gap is made for theih' and crossing others who are well mouuted and khbwj' how to rido to hounds. If the scent bad'not lain and if hunting had been slow and the fences small iho riiaater would, I fancy, havo had aome of his favorite hounds maimed'or'killed. Such men are a dangerous nuisance, land instead of trying to ride-to hounds''Bhoold attend to domestic affairs at home, nurse the babies (if any) and I'oed the poultry.' "Babies and poultry, I fancy, aro more in 'their line than riding a lino across country after hounds. Their presence only irritates the master into using strong language and calls forth sentences loud and deep from those that they interfere with at the fences. Will our baby and poultry friends kindly take a hint and ham to "ride to hunt", and not attempt to "hunt to rido." But while-1 am lecturing the hounds aro away and racing for a strong gorse fence which is safely left behind by the straight division. The next, a double over main road; is an .anchor for a good many (post and rail, followed by high gorse with wide dileh on take off.) Sailor Boy rVces «t it and is over, tho whips aro both ! stopped for a time, but' Wrypeetter and Robin . facu their difficulty with easo and are closely followed bv ;Nonih, Tarquin,'Eun'gof,'Kitty, Mountaineer and the rest of tho .field after numerous' refusals.' In spite of'tho-sloppy sfr'te of'tho ground the puce is-now ""Very, good, aud when we reach our : first checkjthe held is pretty extended and both horses, .and riders aro glad of a breather. After 'twenty minutes law we aro away again,'the hSuVids taking ns to another dotible across one-'dbain road at which T'ivas sorry to see Itrj'oger"'and his plucky-pilot get a heavy-fall,' utit'Thfy were soon up and away again and roakingmp for lost time. Tho hounds are now" rtihiiing hard across a gorso-fenced country towards Bayswater estnto and over the boundary' fence and several capped wire one?, verf'ievr of the field b'oing'able to keep' on terms'\vith, tho pack, who checked after about 3£ "miles. ; Mr Tennant then takes chargo of tho''drag and leads us a merry dance over'tvfcW'iTouces towards tho VYrey'a Bush road,' to'ft.'ach' which a high hedge with strong rails mie has 1 to bo negotiated. ' This stopped a good "many and caused several falls,-Jack Pyo' getting a very nasty looting one, but I am gladtd-say, with a little assistance he was qifiekly,"with' his hounds again (which itnder all circumstances and in all kinds of couutry he : usually maDagos to be). Lam glad to say' that' the two ladies who took part in tho 'good'run f(Mrs Spencer and Miss Mary Gardner) both rode tho iino straight, thronglr without*a" mistake, which ovor such heavy country takes both hands, nerve and judgment' The master's congratuladons"aiid "well done, ladles" at the kill wero I am suro ■ re-echoed by all •present. A nutn'i'itis nrcmniesl Mold 6F nonhunting Indies and gotitloshi'u .veto .."also present and I think obt liucul ;i good 'view of•ili-- «liob hunt, tint i would w;sli to remind ;si'rit<; of the lookers-on'that tratlopiug.across the lino of scent, riding along a ioid where a •double lias to bo taken in front of the field,: when hounds are running, and crowding rouuu the jumps so clo.-joly that hounds cannot work, does not tend to sport nor to an amiable feeling among tho<o w.liv are doing 'their best to keep hounds in sight. A, little uioro.knowleiiijse and.a litt'o more consideration would maku. hunting in Southl.nd far more enj>yahle and fir less dangerous. Viator..