CAPTAIN WARNER'S CLOSING SEASONS 133 



certain the " big brother " was in a good position 

 throughout. 



This was a typical Belvoir gallop, short, sharp 

 and decisive. Scent that day must have been 

 extraordinarily good, as hounds ran hard until it 

 was dark ; but, unfortunately, the foxes found 

 afterwards were of the short running variety. 



The Quorn had a very good run on 9th February, 

 though only a ring it embraced such a large extent 

 of good country that it was possible to overlook the 

 fact. The meet was at Wartnaby Stone Pits, the 

 fox found in Welby Osierbeds, and killed close to 

 where the meet had been. Before this was 

 accomplished hounds had run through Old Dalby 

 Wood, passed by Ragdale, and on to Hoby, when 

 they followed the Wreake Valley to Asfordby, and 

 returned to Welby. 



The pace was fairly good, without being very 

 fast, and it was this that enabled the fox to carry 

 on for two hours and ten minutes. There are 

 people who will always assert that in a run of 

 this length a change of foxes occurred, and except 

 in the case of a "bob-tailed," or some distinguish- 

 able mark, it is not an easy matter to prove they 

 are wrong. This was a case in which I was sure 

 there was no change. 



The same pack had an excellent day's sport on 

 20th February, finding a fox in Barkby-Holt, and 

 killing him near Sileby. The first ten minutes over, 

 the stiff enclosures towards Barkby village and on 

 to Queniborough, hounds were flying, and was, of 

 course, the cream of the run as far as riding was 

 concerned. 



The pace at the start was doubtless responsible 



