The following account of a day out with Mr. Drax’s fox hounds in Dorset, England was originally published in The New Sporting Magazine, Volume XII, No. 72, April 1837.
On Friday, the 17th inst, these hounds met at Milbourne-wood a day’s draw given by Mr. Farquharson in his country, to a numerous field — nearly 200 horsemen being out. On the hounds being thrown into cover they found immediately, not less than four or five foxes being on foot. After running a brace, or more, for an hour in cover, one broke away, a fine dog, in the direction of Dewlish plantations, passing through General Mitchell’s grounds and close by his house, skirting all the plantations to the right ; he then made his point for Chisselbourne-down, over the Dorchester turnpike-road to Piddletown, which he skirted, then turning to the right took the water-meadows to Burleston and on for Tolpiddle, where he was run into in a piece of gorse, after one hour and five minutes out of cover, the hounds running him the last mile in view; the pace throughout good. — Found a second fox at Tincleton-hang, which went away all but in view. The hounds forced him through Ilsington-wood without a turn, and ran him over Piddletown-heath, crossing the turnpike-road to Dorchester, in the direction of Yellowham-wood, which he left to the right. He then went through Grey’s-wood and on to Charminster-down, where he made a short turn to the left, taking the enclosures towards Dorchester, where heading back for the village of Charminster, the hounds ran from scent to view, and pressing him through the village and gardens, finally drove him into an out-house, where he was kjlled, after a splendid run of one hour and forty minutes : every one present allowing it to have been the best day’s sport they had seen in that part of the country for years. We had a lady out who rode most gallantly, taking nearly every fence as it came. She was a remarkably pretty person, and I quite envied a stout gentleman who had an opportunity of showing his gallantry by presenting her with the brush. There is a report that Mr. Drax is to have next season the Blackmoor-vale country, now hunted by Mr. Hall, which I hope for the sake of my sporting friends in that part of the world may be true; for he has certainly a very neat and killing pack, added to which, I understand he is a very keen sportsman, and has a long purse — two things very necessary to make a good master of hounds.
