162 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



the shelter of a drain half a mile below Threeking- 

 ham. A terrier bolted him, and he actually went on 

 for fifteen minutes more before again getting to 

 ground by Sempringham, where hounds scratched 

 him out and drank the blood they had earned so 

 well." Those up at the finish were Colonel Mild- 

 may Willson, C.B., and Miss Willson, Misses L. and 

 G. Heathcote, Mr. Ernest Chaplin, Mr. A. Burdett- 

 Coutts, Captain Cecil Thorold, Mons. Couturie, 

 and the Rev. "Billy" Newcome of Boothby. 

 The latter was a great friend of the Duke's, who 

 always asked, when hearing the account of a good 

 run, " Was Mr. Newcome there ? " 



The floods that visited the country by the 

 middle of February filled up all the dykes and 

 made the land ride very heavy. So we find Feb- 

 ruary 15th put down as a very hard day for horses 

 and hounds, and unsatisfactory as regards sport, 

 owing to the number of times hounds changed. 

 Beaten foxes were viewed all over the country, 

 and yet no kill was effected. From Newman's 

 Gorse hounds ran by Saxby, Stonesby, close to 

 Freeby village, into Stapleford Park. When the 

 river Whissendine was reached, Arthur Wilson, 

 the second whipper-in, tried to swim his horse 

 over the ford, very swollen after the night's rain, 

 and he was very nearly drowned, for he turned 

 his horse's head down stream with the consequence 

 both went under. Mr. Brocklehurst too was 

 another hardy diver who made the attempt to 

 follow, but parted company with his horse in mid- 

 stream and had hard work to get to land. Gillard 



