A Man-Hunt with Blood-Hounds.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 138, 16 May 1885, Page 2

A Man-Hunt with BloodHounds.

Mr 'I homas Colley Gratten, m a work entitled * B«'.-iteu Paths and those who trod them,' draws a picture of ' Ould Ireland ' forty years ago, •••hich our readers would scarcely credit but on his authority. The narrative to which we allude is "entitled „ A. ''Sun-hunt with Bloodhound-, and described with great power. A gay party of hunters are assembled at the' Squire's at Bachelor's Hall, and; after Bitting up »1J night drinking wli&ky punch, suddenly find that morning has overtaken them. at their devotions. * Out with the lamps and candles, and opeu the shutters,' says the MJuir«. 'and welcome the daylight. Tin h the way we knock two days in-.i >ntr at Knockderrig.' The dugs *• ;e soon ready m the couples, the h rses saddled, the hunters ready t<> mount, and all anxious to know what the ' drao-* is to b« which the squire' is to give thorn instead of a stag. * Here he is shouts a voice, and then into the midst bounds a man, a living man, m tijiht dress, with a handkercheif tied round his waist, and a close cloth cap on his head, smeared with- blood from top to too, and yet showing his white teeth and winkiug eyes through the gory steaks. This living man was the prey to bo hunted by a pack ot fierce and savage bloodhounds. At first the horrible 'appearance of the man startled even the drunken rioter?, , and some of them spoke of the danger. Bnt the man himself was fearless ;he was used to it ; and so, after being charged by thp squire to bo careful,, to hold his breath well m, and boing told that he was to hare twenty ni.nutes 'law granted, away he went, carrying with him a leaping pol.-, by the help of which he cleared the ditch as merrily as if off for -a run wilh ihe foxhounds. Then were brought forth, the hounds, twelve m nuin her, huge, ferocious beasts, BtandingjHome twenty-five inches high, forty m length, with flashing eyes and foaming lip?, furious to be unlo's. d upon the prey. At last the signal was given and m a moment the dojjn, like a pack of hungry wolves, with the whole troop of hunters after them, dashed madly away across the country m full cry. Aitei some desperate leaping, they reached a trout Htream, and for a 'moment there was a check. The wretched creature whom .they were hunting had not, it deemed; followed the ''squire's advice, by making at once for some ragged elm tree*, among the boughs ot which he would have been safe, but gone a little to the right, so as to give « more «port ' to : the field. But there was no time to^l think what would be hishonible fate if the dogs came upon him m the opeu ground, for they ' had crossed the stream, and all again were m full cry, On they wenc. Pie^ently the hnnlers caught a glimpse of him some way ahead, cantering lightly ov6r a rising grounp, and then calmly climb a tree, as the hounds drew nearer, and nearer m full cry, and with panting jaws. The drag -named Godroon — had now perched himself across a branch of the tree, which swayed up and down with his weight. Suddenly the branch snapped m two, and ! Godroon was dashed to the ground, lulling over the other side of the rath. Meanwhile, on swept the pack of ferocious dogs, and on swept the hunters, sparing neither whip npi< spur to come up m time to save the poor wretch from being torn to pieces. Little hope seemed left. Kut when the height was gained, with eager eyes they saw the panting wretch running for his hfe some hundreds of yard* ahead. The bloodhounds followed on m mad fury, gaining Inch by inch on their prey. There were several heavy fulls of men and horses ; but still all did their beat, to save poor Godroon. Two hares sprang up m the path of the dogs, but these they never heeded for an instant. Blood, blood, only would stay them. At last Godroon was seen hurrying up •the rough side of the rocky mountain ahead, ihe dogs closing fast on him, and' the men m utter despair of help* ing him. The next change m the scene was Godrbon's gaining the summit, rushing over it, and out of our .sight without a moment's pause. 'He'll do ic,' cried the squire, 'the witch's tree will save him ; he'd scramble up somehow, though the tree had not a shred of bark on it. Life is sweet, and strength and activity can do anything.' At last the hunters gained the summit, and there before them, 200 yard* off was the lake and the blasted witch:} tree, with Godroon again and again making fruitless efforts to climb t-i the overhanging branches, and m often, falling m despair to the ground. I [ore.-s, njen, and dogs were rushing after him m headlong confusion ; tft^L bipod hounds roaring with fury w? having the victim ' almost m their^ fangs, and the huntsmen shouting madly. '.The water, the water.* Plunge m ! pluug« m !' In a few J moments he had jumped headlong iu t<> the lake, and the ferocious dog< after him, and then m wild coufuMon. followed mon and horses, the men striving to ride the hounds down or batter them to death with heavy hunting whips. It was impossible to describe what followed. Enough that the wretched man was at last snatched from his bloody destroyers and lifted on to a horse more dead than alivo, and the horror-struck procession wound its way down the mountain side. Godroon after all his awful ordeal did survive the night. After a jolly breakfast the sportsmen one and all made np a goodly purse for him, andthe blood hounds were all shot dead on the floor of the kennel. 1 God bless ye all, my good friends,' said the squire as he took leave of them ; ' remember, I now reckon cm you all as men of honour not to mention to any one a hint of this adventure by word of mouth or pen for five years.' All promised and all kept their word. It is . exactly forty years beyond the five, says Mr Grattan, when I tell the wild story of the wild sports of Ireland m the oldea time.