100 MEMORIES OF THE SHIRES 



Unfortunately the Quorn made a start from Barkby- 

 Holt, and in that district found some hedge-sides 

 with frost still in the ground. The result was a 

 broken collar-bone for Firr, and hounds having to 

 be content with the first whip for three weeks. 



Fred Earp was a first-class whip, and assisted 

 Firr for many seasons. He was always in the right 

 place, and ready to turn hounds when wanted. I 

 never had the pleasure of hunting with the South 

 Notts, when in later years he helped Lord Harring- 

 ton, and cannot therefore say what ability he 

 showed, but a good whip does not always mean 

 success as a huntsman. I always had a very high 

 opinion of Fred Earp as a whip, but did not think 

 that he would be equally good with the horn. He 

 rather lacked initiative and dash, though no one 

 could have been quicker in following Firr over a 

 country, and it was very seldom that he was left 

 behind. In the period referred to when Firr was 

 laid up, I remember one very long day which I 

 thought should have finished with blood; but it 

 is hardly fair to judge a man by what he did on a 

 solitary occasion. After two exceptionally hard 

 runs in the morning, a fox was found in Ragdale 

 Wood about three o'clock. There was a wide left- 

 handed ring to start with in the direction of Wymes- 

 would, and extending nearly to Burton. Most of 

 the time hounds were running a good pace, but 

 several fields of plough on the return journey reduced 

 them to slow hunting. However, they worked up 

 to their fox at the covert they had found, and set 

 off again with renewed vigour. A short dip into 

 the Hoby Vale and then the pack streamed away 

 across the big fields to Shoby Scoles. A few 



