DANNEVIRKE HOUNDS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 134, 23 June 1937, Page 12

DANNEVIRKE HOUNDS

® ' Epic Day at Sherwood TWENTY-THREE FOLLOWEBS [Contributed.] Tweuty-three followers braved the rain to meet the Dannevirke hounds at the well-known Sherwood meet, and they were rewarded wiith a run that will never be forgotten by any who were lucky enoiigh — and good enough — to be with hounds througiiout. After running three hares round the homestead flats, all of which persisted in making straight for the Ashcott bush, hounds eventually put up a hare behind Tara on the 'fara-Sherwood boundary. This hare took us round the flats below the Tara wdol-shed and then, finding hounds still on her Scent, emuiated the wily fox and set sail as hard as she eould lay foot to the ground for the next county. Over the Sherwood Mll she went, past the old homestead site and down on to Ellingham's. Here, on the bare pastures and the new grass, some exeellent hound work was seen, hounds following a eold scent very accurately — aeross tne Ashley Clinton road on to Pedersen's, wiiere some heavy country and very trappy fences thinned the field a little, some falling by the wayside, some taking a wrong turning at a deep gully. Two tollowers, here tleeiding that the longest way round was the shortest way home, set off in the opposito direction to hounds, and after variied adventures caught them up again looking rather the worse for wear. Hounds worked their line very tenaciously through Pedersen's till a iresh hare got up under their noses, and they went away with a great Durst to Dampney's boundary, turned righthan.ded through Mackay 's and Cook's to the Ashley Clinton Hall, running down the road past the hall and on to Cook's again. Here, after negotiating some steep gullies wiith boggy creeks, the valiant few who were still with hounds hq,d a great stretch of magnificent country with stiff fences in front of them. Our hare, swinging righthanded, took hounds at a great pace back towards Ellingham's and Sherwood, and as the Sherwood boundary was reached he was viewed ' ' dead beat" but still game. In a glorious fiual burst whicb thrdlled us all to the core, hounds rau their hare in full view for over half a mile in very broken country finally to bowl him over in the open. So ended the run of the century, as hounds ran a good ten milee. How many times we changed hares it is impossible to say, but it is certain that the hare the houndif' kjilled had takeu us a good part of the whole run, as he was completely ' 1 done ' ' when the hounds got up to him. It is noteworthy that 14 followers finished the run, including seven ladies, to whom much credit is due, as the country we had been over wa's heavy and very boggy, with a great many very "hairy" fences. Special praise is due to Miss Horrick and Miss 3. Wiilliams, who, though ouly lifst-season performers, were well up all day and showed that their hearts wero on the right side of every fence — -the landing side." Huntsman Selby and the pack deFerve great praise also. Hounds worked a hard line with wonderful accuiacj' and kept together as one hound, whieh is a great credit to Selby 's kennel management and tlie master's expert cuiling and breeding. TLose following were:— Mr Duucan Holdeu, deputy inaster; Mr T. Wbite, hon. whdp; Mrs Duncan Holden, Mt A. E. Harrie, Miss Orbell (Timairu), Miss Herrick, Miss 8. White, Miss C Williaxnd, Miss Wall, Mrs Moore (Mas terton), Miss Dampney, Mr L. White, , Mr Harris, Mr J. D. Ormond, Mr Rathbone, Mr Herrick, Mr Dampney, Mr Wilder, Mr A. Bdbby, Mr Petit, Mr T. Moorhead, Mr Maekenzie, Huntsman Selby.