CAPTAIN WARNER 123 



of the vale, and killed their fox in Holwell village. 

 He had been found in Sherbrooke's covert, and by 

 starting out towards Hickling, with a bend by- 

 Parson's Thorns, he was able to lead us over an 

 ideal line. 



There was rather an amusing scene with these 

 hounds about a week later, though it must have 

 been annoying to the master. 



Sport that morning had not been very good, so 

 that when the Harby Hills were being drawn and 

 a halloo was heard in the vale below, every one's 

 idea was to get there as quickly as possible. The 

 field was full of " ride," hounds were for the 

 moment invisible in the covert, and a hundred horse- 

 men set out in the direction of the halloo. We will 

 hope that at least some of them were a trifle ashamed 

 when, after a steeplechase for a mile or more, they 

 found the pack were behind them. 



I think this season should rank with those that 

 have been lauded to the skies, as, in addition to 

 many high-class runs, there was hardly a day that 

 hounds did not give us some sport. On 7th Feb- 

 ruary the Quorn ran from Barkby-Holt to a well- 

 known drain at Hoby Rectory, the fox being bolted 

 and killed. This was a most unusual line ; but the 

 fox had evidently made up his mind for his ultimate 

 point whea he was first found, and ran perfectly 

 straight. 



It was somewhere about the close of this season 

 that the Melton midnight chase was run. I cannot 

 remember the exact date, but think it was in March. 



Lady Augusta Fane suggested it, and the idea 

 caught on at once, though I believe there was only 

 a day or two between the moment of suggestion 



