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Lady of the Chase: The Life and Hunting Diaries of Daphne Moore
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About Lady Of The Chase: The Life And Hunting Diaries Of
Product Description When a rare opportunity to buy some unique diaries at auction arose recently, a hunting enthusiast seized on the opportunity. By now offering them up for publication, he has opened up, via the diarist, a whole world of hunting and its characters from 1930 for the next half century. Daphne Moore is known to many in the hounds fraternity for her expert reports in Horse and Hound magazine over many decades. Aristocratically turned out and well-spoken, her appearance belied her circumstances. She lived on a shoe-string off her reporting, followed the pack on foot and in her younger days even cycled many miles to get there and back. Remarkably, after producing a professional report of each days' hunting, she then turned to writing up - and illustrating in charming watercolours - her own diaries. About the Author Alastair Jackson was Director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association until his retirement. Previously a Master of Foxhounds and huntsman for many years, he is also a talented writer and illustrator who has contributed regularly to Horse and Hound. He is the author of The Great Hunts and is a renowned illustrator of many books. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Hounds immediately struck a drag (the scent of the otter’s movements overnight), which continued all day, with hounds hunting really strongly at times with a great cry, but without working up to their quarry. However, it is worth noting the physical reality of following otterhounds all day as described by Daphne on this occasion: “The walking here is extremely difficult, for on the left hand is an impenetrable jungle, and to cross to the other bank one is forced to wade through deep water, over slippery, treacherous stones on the river bottom, contending at the same time with a very violent current. George, Pip and Harry crossed at a rather deep and very dangerous ford, which so petrified me when I began to follow that I made for a better place lower down and was therefore left a long way behind and had to run to catch up with hounds.” Having described the rest of the day, she concluded: “We reached Croome just in time to change for dinner, finding Gerry there before us. We were very Hawkstone at dinner tonight, George and Pip both being in their H.O.H. dinner jackets and Gerry resplendent in his H.O.H. tails.” So Daphne’s life continued at this time of year, foxhunting and otterhunting claiming most of her days. She would leave home on her bicycle in the dark at five or six o’clock in the morning to collect a horse from Harry Gittins and then hack up to ten miles to go cubhunting. If no horse was available she would follow by bicycle and on foot and, wherever possible, go on to hunt with the otterhounds for the rest of the day.
