[George Washington: Farmer by Paul Leland Haworth]@TWC D-Link bookGeorge Washington: Farmer CHAPTER XIV 23/29
This story may or may not be true; all that I can say is that I have found no confirmation of it in Washington's own writings. Neither have I found there any confirmation of the story that Mrs. Washington and other ladies often rode out to see the hunts.
Washington had avenues cut through some of his woods to facilitate the sport and possibly to make the riding easier for the ladies.
Upon the whole, however, I incline to the opinion that generally at least Martha stayed at home visiting with lady friends, attending to domestic concerns and superintending the preparation of delectable dishes for the hungry hunters.
I very much doubt whether she would have enjoyed seeing a fox killed. The French hounds were, at least at first, rather indifferent hunters. "Went out after Breakfast with my hounds from France, & two which were lent me, yesterday, by Mr.Mason," says the Farmer the day of the first trial; "found a Fox which was run tolerably well by two of the Frh. Bitches & one of Mason's Dogs--the other French dogs shewed but little disposition to follow--and with the second Dog of Mason's got upon another Fox which was followed slow and indifferently by some & not at all by the rest until the sent became so cold it cd.
not be followed at all." Two days later the dogs failed again and the next time they ran two foxes and caught neither, but their master thought they performed better than hitherto, December 12th: "After an early breakfast [my nephew] George Washington, Mr.Shaw and Myself went into the Woods back of the Muddy hole Plantation a hunting and were joined by Mr.Lund Washington and Mr.William Peake.
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