90 MEMORIES OF THE SHIRES 



and this was the first occasion I had ridden him in 

 a gallop. 



On i8th October the Quorn had a most enjoy- 

 able scurry from Baggrave to Hungarton by way 

 of Carr Bridge, and the whole distance was accom- 

 plished in thirteen minutes. 



The 25th of the month the same pack met 

 at Gaddesby Hall, when, except for the absence 

 of scarlet, it might have been a meet of the regular 

 season. The trees and hedges were also still in 

 their summer dress. I remember that morning 

 thirty-three years ago as well as if it was yesterday. 

 The morning was bright and pleasant, with just a 

 touch of east in the wind. Every one was in the 

 best of spirits and full of cheery good humour. 



We found our fox in Mr. Cheney's Long Spinney, 

 and for thirty golden minutes were racing over one 

 of the stiff est lines in Leicestershire. It is a bit of 

 country in which even when hedges are bare you 

 must be in the same field with the hounds to see 

 them, but with everything still in leaf, if you lose 

 sight of the pack, you may never see them again. 

 It was really a large field for October, and I think 

 all enjoyed that gallop, but only a very small 

 minority saw a hound from find to finish. The 

 gallop was crammed full of excitement, incidents 

 and fences. After all it was only a ring, and at 

 the end of the thirty minutes we were back at 

 the starting-point ; but the delirious joy of riding 

 to hounds when they run fast is not to be measured 

 by the hand of time or gauged by the distance 

 covered. On this occasion there were several 

 Americans out, who had come to Melton for the 

 season, and they were the forerunners of many 



