“Well, a herd of deer was close by and suddenly took fright and galloped off. Up went hounds’ heads, and then the fun began. Some one was out with us on horseback, I think S. G. Menzies, a late Master of the E.C.H., and he did everything in his power to stop them, as they drove the deer round and round the golf course and across the greens, to the horror of the players. Finally they divided, and, while the Master got to one half as they were swimming their quarry in the lake and stopped them, I found three or four couple had pulled down, a deer in the wood behind the club house. [Illustration: G. K. DUNNING’S YEAR. 1913.] “Getting hounds together the Master left the Park as soon as possible, but that did not by any means close the incident as far as the golf club authorities were concerned, and I think the hunt paid substantial damages.” The season 1913-14 is the record one up to date. C. C. Hilton Green was Master till Christmas, and afterwards R. D. Crossman, son of Mr. D. Crossman, the present joint Master of the Cambridgeshire Foxhounds. Thirty-eight hares were killed in 49 hunting days. How can I end this chapter better than by quoting the description of the best run the Eton Beagles ever had, with a point of seven miles? It took place in 1904, when Romer Williams was Master. “Tuesday, March 8th, was a day to be remembered, from the Prince of Wales. We found a hare directly, but lost her near the Sanatorium after 20 minutes. Found again in a plough near Eton Wick, and they fairly raced away straight as a die up to Headington’s Farm. Here we met our hunted hare coming back, with ‘Crafty’ in close attendance, who shortly killed her. Meanwhile the pack had gone on with another hare as hard as they could go, and quite straight past Headington’s to the G.W.R., and over that past Atkins’ to the top of Lynch Hill, where they checked for the first time. We then seized the opportunity of breaking up ‘Crafty’s’ hare, and then going forward we put up a hare in the next field and ran like the devil himself straight over to Burnham Beeches, leaving Farnham Royal on our right. Through the Beeches they went and on to Beaconsfield Common, where we whipped off as soon as we could, as some hounds were still in the Beeches. Eton Wick to Beaconsfield is seven miles as straight as the crow flies, with absolutely never a turn. Time, 75 minutes.” Champion has told me that this was quite the best hunt he has ever seen with beagles, and I doubt whether many better runs could be found in any of the records of hare hunting in the British Isles. [Illustration: HIS MASTER’S VOICE.] [Illustration] CHAPTER VII. THE WAR AND THE FINAL TRIUMPH.