CAPTAIN FORESTER TO THE WAR 195 



improvement, both for appearance and shading 

 hounds in hot weather. 



The best Quorn run of this season was from 

 Welby Osierbeds to Croxton Park, where the fox 

 went to ground. It was five-and-twenty minutes 

 to Brentingby Spinney, with a curve out towards 

 Thorpe Arnold to increase the distance, and those 

 who know the country will realize the pace hounds 

 must have ran. 



The Belvoir dated their best run from Waltham 

 Ashes, though many preferred the gallop from 

 Croxton Park to Wymondham without a check, and 

 a kill at the end. 



Capt. Forester lent a portion of the Charnwood 

 Forest country to that good sportsman. Lord 

 Harrington, who in spite of his threescore years 

 and ten was not content with four days in his own 

 country. 



A fairly good season, and very few days when 

 you were not able to get a gallop after hounds and 

 jump a few fences. 



I am sorry to say that huntsman and masters 

 have got into the habit of complaining about the 

 want of scent on every occasion when they fail in 

 catching foxes ; but they seem to forget that such 

 complaints are reflections on their packs. Any cur 

 can hunt and go fast with a really burning scent ; 

 but a hound with a good nose ought to be able to 

 drive on when the inferior animal cannot own the 

 line. 



I was very severely criticized this season by 

 some of the old Quornites for altering the name of 

 a covert — so they said — though I still maintain I 

 was only reverting to an old name. I must have 



