Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-17
AN EXCITING FOX HUNT.
Graphic Description of n Lively Sport in the
Genesee Valley.
rrnrn Uarners Monthly

From Harper's Monthly.
What field! Fifty riders. as near as can
count. and six, seven, eight, nine ladies
mounted. That's good many. VIII they be
in the run? ore OF them will be for sure; see,
yonder she goes, in a brown habit. on an iron
gray mare. Wherever the mare can go her
mistress can ride her. and whatever turns them
back turns plenty of good company back with
them. Three or four other horsewo,nen NAV
follow the hounds, and the rest of them mean
to go by the road with carr iages. But there
come two that don't. Our friend the SPORT
ing banker from Batavia has brought his
little girls over today and bless me if he hasn't
put them both on horseback. They are chill
dren, obviously; but an told they ride with a
dash and skill that are very scarce among
adults
The master is jogging off, surrounded by his
hounds. and the field is star ting score of
riders from the valley. half of them farm
ers, and as MANY more from tributary cities
Buffalo Is out six or seven strong: Rochester
and Batavia send nine riders between them;
Geneva sends a map. and there is q double
handful of New Workers.
Come alongl 1t is more fun TO ride IN the
front of the field than the rear: and il is safer
besides being less crowded. There go the
hounds on the trail Mt a pretty good pace from
the start. Around here through the orchard
there's a good place; those rails make pleasant
jumping.
A four-board fence, four-boarded from end
to end. No choice of panels until somebody
breaks one. and no time 20 wait for that The
ground is good, though, and looks level on the
other side. There's love. PilateI Good horse.
Thirty riders have been seen to cross a ave
foot board fence in this valley without touching
it. Ten of US in this field. Not a crowd; lust
company. Into the road at that corner,
think; it looks like a gate there. Chained?
Then of here TO the LETT. Give him time.
Over now! Across the road. What. not do IL?
Now ngain-there! That was more like it,
A lady down! But she's up again. Not hurt
And so on, and so on, for about four miles,
when, If PLATE holds ont well and doesn't come
to any grief, the exhilarated reader finds him
self in company with a dozen other men in Q
meadow on the Genesec fats close by a bend In
the river. The hounds are painting and horses
are streaming with sweat.
II is fun to watch the field come struggling
in from various directions, singly and in twos
and threes. Some were outrun, some got lost.
The least delay in a drag hunt is fatal for after
the hounds once get well started the scent keeps
getting fresher. and there are no checks to
speak Of to give the field a chance TO catch up.
Once out of earshot Of the hounds the rider
is out OF the race. and the best he can hope to
do is to find the pack again at the finish.
presently the carriages come streaming across
the fields from the road, and within half an
hour after the finish the crowd ID reasonably
complete again.
When the horses have had a sufficient
breathing space the whole assemblage moves
in scattering process on through several fields
and wood lots and a cover drawn The
cover is q swampy-looking wood lot, thickly
grown up with underbrush.
The master and hounds go in and quickly dis
appear, and the whip posts himself 81 . distant
corner. But very soon they como into hear
ing. They have found and are telling about IL
riders uplifted arm warns back the Aeld
The cry IL coming toward "a The hounds win
come out yonder, and we are not to get thsre
first and head them of.
There's the fox! There he goesl And looki
the pack after him, all together, scuddine
over that green knoll for dear life That's
sight worth coming for. After them now.
Plate! No, not across that wheat held but
around it Yonder scuds our friend, the Bahvia
nnancier, galloping ahead 10 open gate for M !
little efrla Let NJ 60 that way, Plate, asd-- |
JENNY! That was one Of The little girls tAa4 |
vent byi
Through . gate, scross . ruilrosd. over
. board fsnee, through . wood Qepcs), up |
bill (fence), across . held With the hounds IN |
sight and fox In expectation. Then (fsncs) |
down steep gully, turn 1t the bottom a q, |
and up prsssntly 70 . baaled pank s.iflng - { |
hole in Tie ground.
The fot has COS 70 esrth sad vfn DO 10 chass
snothsr day. We are his dsbtuss, for - - |
givsa =. . pretty God hunting Pistws I'd . |
run faas wAs fun v1ils y iaslsl II - - |
gone end thscs b ouly cSoaS a. enourh ~ |
70 - nnsk - ~ usass1sa1 hhsnsy - o.
eo1rD thsee ntfle v1<1s 81 ssop eaPeslDnoD /
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