MR. JOHN COUPLAND 57 



This was one of the many good runs we had that 

 season, but it would be difficult to say which was 

 the best. Nearly every day produced a gallop, 

 and I can recall no season in my experience that 

 could boast such a record of good sport. Regularly 

 every Friday and Monday the Quorn had a run 

 that in these days we should call first-class, but 

 there is not space here to give an account of all. 



On Boxing Day we had a screaming fifteen 

 minutes from Thrussington Gorse, and the following 

 Monday's hounds had an extraordinary hard day. 

 Finding a fox in Curate's Gorse they ran first of all 

 to Widmerpool, and then swinging round to the 

 left ran across the vale to Holwell Mouth. Here the 

 pack changed on to a fresh fox, and all the efforts 

 of the whip were of no avail to stop them. We 

 then had a rattling gallop through Sherbrooke's 

 covert and bearing left-handed round Upper 

 Broughton, made straight for the hills again. 

 There was rather a long check at Watnaby Stone- 

 pit Spinney, but the line was at length recovered 

 and we went slowly on to Saxelbye Wood. Whether 

 or no it was a fresh fox that went away from this 

 covert, I could not say, but he managed to slip 

 away with a long start and the pace to Ragdale 

 village was very moderate. Hounds then spurted 

 again and ran sharply down to the earths in the 

 Hoby Vale. 



I think we must have changed at Saxelbye Wood, 

 as the fox that had been bustled in the vale could 

 not have gone on, whereas the one we were hunting 

 kept getting farther ahead. It was a real good fox, 

 and finding the earths closed he went straight on, 

 leaving Cossington Gorse and Seagrave to the left. 



