The Loudoun Hunt

October 2002

SoloLord brought the hounds down the path from the kennel into the Hume farm and cast them off west through the cedars paralleling Thomas Mill road. He called for me to join him midway up that hill and we watched the hounds continue to the fence line bordering the red-brick house and work along to the south. A hound spoke, several others joined in and they were off after Charlie southward. Solo blew his horn to cheer them on and we followed at a good canter up the path through the cow pasture, across the creek with the old burnt house to our left and up another path towards the 15-acre woods.

Bird on a Swing had gone the low road from the meet and now he called "Forward away" as he saw the lead hounds charging through the forest towards Woodburn Road. We galloped up through the woods after them, turned left-handed down the path parallel to Woodburn road but couldn’t find Birdy. The hounds began filtering back to Solo as we continued down this path and he surmised there might be an earth close by.

Solo and I met Birdy in a clearing above the kennel and he told us that three couple of the lead hounds had been in hot pursuit of Charlie across Woodburn road. We could hear one of them speaking from that direction, but more filtered back to the pack as Solo blew for them. Apparently Charlie had eluded them. As we were on spoiled ground, we walked downhill north towards the kennel and one or two hounds spoke in the woods to the east but we were sure it was heel so Birdy went to get them back. Cockatoe Miller joined us for a little bit.

Solo cast the hounds off again west and they worked generally westward along a creek, past the old burnt house again. He sent Miller north. The hounds struck again and we followed them west, along the path towards the 15-acre woods, then turned north across a small creek and ran towards the powerlines. On the way up the hill through the powerlines gap, Birdy stepped on a sharp rock that stung his foot so badly he went home.

We halted at the north end of the power lines and were then joined by Carpet Dance. We watched and listened as the hounds worked out the line which took them through the scrub and pines along the edge of Thomas Mill road. We caught them at the road west of Gore lane and Solo blew to gather the pack again, with the help of Carpet and Miller. The field joined us on the road.

When Solo was satisfied, he brought the pack back through the woods bordering Thomas Mill road working generally west. After a short while the hounds struck again and took off towards Laycock’s. We followed them over a coop into Laycock’s, turned left through the woods heading southwest towards the corn strip, turned left again (south) towards the Hume at a good clip, hounds speaking all the time, charged down hill, over the creek and back up, all the way over to the 15-acre woods where we stopped to listen as the pack turned left again and worked eastward. (We later learned that three couple of the tail hounds had struck another line through Laycock’s and worked it to the corn strip. Miller accompanied them on that little adventure). 

We moved to the east along the edge of the 15-acre woods with the rest of the pack hot on Charlie's heels, it sounded like every one of them was speaking. Going left again, we galloped north towards the powerlines gap, this time over the coop at the north end and out through the pine trees (nearly stepped on a deer hiding in the long grass) onto Thomas Mill. The hounds were already flying through a pasture full of horses and ponies to another woods that took us into the back of Main Tree farm. They faltered for a few minutes at a creek, but picked it up again and lit off to the north towards Gordon’s. A much reduced field joined us for the chase but Charlie had had enough and went to ground in the woods between Main Tree farm and Gordon’s.

Blew "To ground," and hacked home.

Submitted by Huckleberry Pie