The fifth hunt of the season was laid by Dr. C. N. Davis, winner of the previous event. It look place at Miss Johnstone's Line on Saturday at 3 p.m. The weather conditions were excellent, except for the dust, which was very trying, but no improvement in this respect is possible without some days of heavy rain, Saturday's run was much enjoyed and the course was an excellent one, and well thought out. The jumps were splendid both in quality and quantity but the course was rather too long for a hunt just before the holidays.
Punctually at 3 p.m. the Master cast off the hunt and riders made straight for first jump, where Mr. Massey began the day's adventures by experiencing a troublesome crossing. There was one more big jump quarter of a mile further on, where two. riders collided and both bit the dust, literally as well as figuratively. Then came the orossing by Mrs. Liddell's bungalow, and two or three small jumps, after which riders careered all over the country looking for paper, till it was eventually found leading over No. 12 Bridge. Then came Shaw's Joys, a line of dry cuts extending for over a mile and which is rather too long at this stage of the hunt, as it mecessitares hard galloping.
At the end of Shaw's Joys, riders passed over the Bridge and then swung away to Sing Ka Hong and thence made their way by the usual route to Crawford's Line. There was unusual grief on this line, due chiefly to the dust. The trail now lay in a homeward direction and passing over No. 8 Bridge and through the Diagonal Wade, riders crossed a couple of platforms and entered on a quick run along the Yellow. Joss-House Line which brought them to the Rubicon Creek. A huge crowd of Chinese at the Wade betokened their interest in the proceedings and cheers rent the vas each rider splashed through.
The fox appears to have run down Rubicon Road for a considerable distance before turning into the country, but though a few riders kept to this trail, the remainder continued on down the road and lost themselves somewhat considerably. Further confusion arose from the fact that some riders waited for others at No. 8 Bridge, while the Jeading batch carried on without waiting. The result was that the hunt came in to the finish in driblets and from al] directions. The first in was Mr. J. Johnstone on Wiltshire. There was no heavyweight, though Mr. W. R. Lemarchand almost qualified in this class, but was beaten in his final rush for the card. There was little grief at the finishing jump at Marah, but the same cannot be said of the big jump at Slough of Despond, which claimed many a victim, including Mr, W. A. Dalgarno, who was still] there when we went to press.
The card read as follows:—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.