50 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



Melton brook was completely hidden by the flood 

 in the low-lying meadows, and the hunt staff, who 

 were only mounted on hacks, had the greatest 

 difficulty to keep the pack in view. Fortunately 

 hounds turned on the line of a fresh fox, swimming 

 back over the Melton brook and were promptly 

 stopped. The field out on this desperate wet 

 morning was certainly a select one, the only other 

 horseman beside the hunt staff being Mr. Algernon 

 Turnor of Stoke. 



The opening meet on the 1st of November was 

 at Leadenham House, and, unfortunately, a fox 

 possessed with the spirit of mischief led the pack 

 for a mile up the railway towards Caythorpe, 

 where they met an express when running hard. 

 All but one hound, Durable, turned, and she was 

 cut to pieces by the express. As extra trains 

 were running for Lincoln races, the scene was 

 promptly changed to the heath country. 



On November llth, after meeting at Staunton, 

 the pack viewed a fox going into Cottam Thorns, 

 and it was one the Blankney hounds had run from 

 Coddington Plantation. The Belvoir promptly 

 took up the chase, ran him out by Elton, and 

 killed in the open by the road - side between 

 Staunton and Cottam. On being told that an- 

 other fox had been seen running into Cottam 

 Thorns a return was made to that covert, which 

 was found full of Mr. Chaplin's hounds, who had 

 run in, only to find it tenantless, and to hear that 

 the Belvoir had made a meal of their fox. A 

 deputy master acted on this occasion for Mr. 



