SEASON 1881-82 161 



but twenty yards behind him when he got to 

 ground, and so surprised were they at his sudden 

 disappearance that they turned and twisted in 

 their eagerness, jumping over one another's backs, 

 each hound seeming to imagine that the other 

 had got hold of Charlie, the reason being that 

 the mouth of the drain was hidden from view by 

 a bunch of rushes. A terrier being applied, the 

 fox was bolted and killed, after a regular 

 race of twenty-seven minutes with no sign of a 

 check, and perhaps hounds never traversed so 

 much country in so short a space of time without 

 casting themselves. The following were the fore- 

 most division : Mr. A. Burdett - Coutts, Major 

 Longstaffe, Miss Turner, Captain Tennant, Captain 

 Cecil Thorold, Major Charles Thorold, Mons. Cou- 

 turie, Colonel Mildmay, and Mr. Walter Willson. 

 A good instance of the stoutness of the South 

 Lincolnshire foxes is shown in the account of a 

 wonderful run from Newton Wood. This covert 

 is recognised favourite fox-ground, for a fell- 

 monger's shop is in the district, from which issues 

 savoury odours, poison it may be to the inhabit- 

 ants of the district, but caviare to the nostrils of 

 a fox, who knows what's good. Gillard records 

 that " he proved himself one of the gamest foxes 

 he ever hunted." At a nice hunting pace he led 

 the field round by Osbournby, Spanby, Horbling, 

 and Billingboro to Folkingham Little Gorse in 

 one hour and twelve minutes. " When I saw him 

 leave the gorse I thought he was done with, but 

 he kept on for twenty-five minutes before seeking 



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