At the Hunt.

Patea Mail, 14 May 1881, Page 3

At the Hunt.

The Wanganui Hunt Club’s hounds met in Patea on Thursday, and shortly after 2 o’clock a large number of horsemen and a few ladies followed the pack to the trysting place on the Whenuakura side. The hounds took otf at the road near Mr Mercer’s, whose paddock was the first crossed. The drag aad been taken down the road past the school-house and into Mr Davidson’s, where some good fences had to be negotiated ; the first run finishing over several nice paddocks belonging to, Mr Sheehan. Mr Southey on Cleopatra and Mr Higginson on Darkie, were the only sportsmen who kept company with the hounds to the “ death although Mr Barker on Banjo, Messrs Knox, Gower, McKenzie, Chadwick, Carey, and several others came up in straggling order. The hounds kept well together throughout, except one or two strays. Mr Horner kindly took the drag for the second run, and selected a very pretty country, the jumps being mostly on his own land. Quite a cavalcade of horsemen started the second time, but only four were with the hounds when Mr Horner was overtaken. These were Messrs Southey on Cleopatra, Higginson on Darkie, J. Chadwick on Lapland, and McKenzie on Bob, Mr Bradley, the master, rode a nice looking young horse, which however did not figure well at the ditch-and-bank fences. A great many more horsemen would doubtless have taken part, and many of the horses would have shown better form, had more notice of the meet been given. A lady from Kakaramea, who followed the hounds last season, went through the greater part of the hunt. It is Mr Bradley’s intention to hunt between Waverley and Hawera three or four times a month ; so that in future the hunts should be more successful.