CAPT. BURNS-HARTOPP'S FINAL SEASONS 181 



Mr. Griffiths and Capell were delighted with 

 their excursion into the Quorn territory, but would 

 doubtless have been better pleased had they 

 killed their fox. 



Season igoi-1902 



My Field letters for the earlier part of this 

 season are missing, but I don't think there was 

 much sport. The Cottesmore had two capital 

 runs on the last day of November. The first was 

 forty-five minutes, hounds racing their fox to death, 

 and the second was a straight run from Berry 

 Gorse to Barleythorpe. 



New Year's Day the Belvoir met at Saltby, and 

 my account reads " the best day of the season 

 thus far " ; but what appeared to have raised my 

 enthusiasm more than anything was a flying burst 

 from Sproxton Thorns to Newman's Gorse. On 

 this occasion the time was exactly nine minutes, 

 which, I think, was a record for that distance. Then 

 a twisting fox from Freeby Wood was raced to death, 

 the best part of which was fifteen or twenty minutes 

 in the Chadwell valley. The day ended with a 

 very excellent run from Goadby Gorse to some 

 earths in the Belvoir woods near Stathern. 



Sport had been moderate all the season ; but 

 there was a great improvement in March. 



The Quorn ran very fast from Cream Gorse by 

 way of Barsby to the viaduct near John o' Gaunt 

 station — thirty-two minutes — when they unfortun- 

 ately switched on to the line of a fresh fox. On 

 the following Wednesday (5th March) the Belvoir 

 had a very nice run from Clawson Thorns, and 



