128 MEMORIES OF THE SHIRES 



Hounds raced away from the start, passing 

 Carr Bridge and Lowesby, then bearing to the 

 right, ran straight to Botany Bay. Here they 

 never dwelt a moment, but were out beyond and 

 speeding forward with undiminished pace before 

 half the field had reached the covert. At the 

 Uppingham turnpike they swung to the left, crossing 

 the road near the Billesdon Workhouse, and into 

 the aforementioned spinney. 



I had seen the fox several times during the 

 run, and knew he could not have lasted many more 

 minutes, so that when the hunt continued by Skef- 

 fington and Keythorpe I felt quite sure there had 

 been a change. It was very seldom that Firr did 

 not get to the head of affairs in the first field, how- 

 ever badly he might have been placed at the start ; 

 but on this occasion hounds slipped away out of 

 covert on the back of their fox and ran so fast that 

 he had not a chance of making up lost ground. I 

 don't think he appeared on the scene until we 

 changed foxes, and probably the change would 

 not have occurred if he had been there. Firr was 

 riding that day one of the best horses which has 

 ever crossed Leicestershire — " Revolving Light " by 

 name, and own brother to " Gamecock," a National 

 winner. Capt. Warner had bought him at Lord 

 Manners' sale. He had a very light mouth, but 

 with Firr's " hands " he went beautifully, though 

 I remember Fred Earp was never quite happy on 

 him on the few occasions he hunted hounds, and 

 Fred was by no means heavy fisted. I suppose in 

 his anxiety to reach his hounds Firr must have 

 asked too much of his mount in the early stages of 

 the run, and, being unable to get a second horse. 



