SEASON 1873-74 63 



before the sale, and joint oil starting to run, 

 Mr. Musters had her destroyed. Sir Frederick 

 Johnstone told me afterwards that a thousand 

 would not have stopped him from buying 

 her." 



Frost visited us in February, but the first day 

 out we had a quick thing from Clawson Thorns 

 to Piper Hole Gorse. Ascending the hill to this 

 covert took the wind out of our horses, but when 

 we reached the table-land we were able to keep 

 the pack in view, racing all the way to Knipton, 

 where they marked to ground after a regular burst 

 of forty minutes. It being but a small earth, we 

 dug, and two others besides were found lying up 

 at the end of it. The first was given a start, and 

 hounds ran hard to Croxton Banks, where they 

 unfortunately changed ; but on hearing that one 

 of the other foxes was still in hand, we had him 

 turned down, and a regular race of fifteen minutes 

 resulted, until he saved his brush by getting to 

 ground. 



A mad dog was destroyed at Leadenham, so the 

 district was given a wide berth by hounds in con- 

 sequence, and the fixture changed during February 

 to Haverholme. It was on this day that the after- 

 noon fox from Newton Wood gave a splendid 

 gallop by Scot Willoughby, Osbournby hill-top, 

 Aswarby, nearly to the Thorns. With the pack 

 close at him he doubled back to Osbournby, and 

 was rolled over after going racing pace for thirty- 

 five minutes. Hounds were a field ahead all the 

 way, and those nearest to them were Sir Thomas 



