48 MEMORIES OF THE SHIRES 



Frost and snow came early that season, and for 

 the first fortnight in December there was practically 

 no hunting. The weather suddenly changed, and 

 the Meltonians, who had all gone away, could not 

 get back to meet the Quorn on Monday, i8th De- 

 cember, at Six Hills. Foxes were rather hard to 

 find, but we eventually found one at Ella's Gorse, 

 and he gave us a first-rate gallop. In those days 

 there was no bridge over the stream that flows 

 below the covert, and getting over was not an easy 

 matter. There was one place close to the covert 

 where fence and brook could be jumped together, 

 but it wanted a fairly bold horse to face it. On 

 this occasion the only man who rode at it was Capt. 

 Elmhirst, with his arm in a sling, but he either had 

 not enough steam on or his horse funked it, and, 

 dropping its hind legs, fell back into the water. 

 Hounds turned sharp to the left, and we did not 

 catch them until we were close to Willoughby Gorse. 

 From thence on we had a most enjoyable gallop to 

 Bunny Wood, eventually losing our fox in the 

 sticky ploughs near Leake, after taking him through 

 Stanford Park. The fast part of the gallop was 

 twenty-eight minutes with a five-mile point. 



In December and January sport was very meagre, 

 but it was not from the want of moisture, as I think 

 we had more rain that winter than I ever remember 

 since. The last Tuesday in January gave the 

 Cottesmore a very fast five-mile gallop from Prior's 

 Coppice. It was late in the afternoon, and as there 

 appeared no scent, nearly every one had gone home. 

 Hounds raced the whole way, and horses had diffi- 

 culty in living with them. I did not see this gallop 

 myself, but those who were in it said it was the 



