SEASON 1875-76 85 



snowstorm we failed to do any good with our 

 morning fox, but at five o'clock a good one was 

 set going from Bescaby Oaks. First he took a 

 turn over Croxton Park, then away past Sproxton 

 Thorns and through Coston Covert. Up to this 

 point the pace was very severe, though the field 

 kept pegging along, and after getting clear of the 

 last-named covert, hounds raced past Wymondham, 

 bearing to the left for Woodwell Head. At Coston 

 Covert and Sproxton Thorns I lifted the pack 

 forward on to the line of our fox as he left 

 the covert, and so lost no time, but Woodwell 

 Head being a bigger covert, I had to let them 

 carry the line through. This they did without 

 dwelling there, and by the time we galloped to 

 the south end, the pack were streaming away 

 towards Cottesmore Gorse, just skirting it as they 

 ran round by Teigh, and killed near Edmond- 

 thorpe in the dry canal. It was after seven o'clock 

 when we killed, and the distance as the crow flies 

 from Croxton Park to Cottesmore Gorse is ten 

 miles. The mask was presented, instead of the 

 brush, which was a poor one, to Miss Miles, who 

 went well on one of the Duke's horses. Those 

 who were up at the finish were Major Longstaffe, 

 Mr. John Hardy, Mr. Turner Farley, Mr. James 

 Hutchinson, Captain King, and the Rev. J. Mire- 

 house. All the horses were beat, and a call was 

 made at Mr. Pochin's house for gruel." The next 

 day the Duke had a description of the run written 

 by Miss Miles which pleased him very much, 

 especially as she described Gillard taking a 



