176 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



in the field, from the fact that the whole staff are 

 mounted on gray horses. The colour is hard to 

 beat, and where woods abound it is the easiest to 

 find. 



On the authority of Brooksby the season was 

 "a best on record for sport," and his charming 

 book under that title, dedicated by permission to 

 H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, gives us the leading 

 events with the Leicestershire packs. 



On January 12th, when Gillard was once more 

 in command, the Belvoir were in luck, carrying on 

 the wave of good sport which marked the opening 

 months of the year, and they ran nearly to a 

 standstill in a tremendous gallop backwards and 

 forwards between their own country and that of 

 the Quorn. The day deserved a kill after a fast 

 forty -five minute gallop by moonlight to Asfordby, 

 for then it would have ranked as one of the best 

 things of a wonderful season's sport. Those sports- 

 men who saw the finish were the Duke of 

 Portland, Captains Boyce, Smith, and Tennant, 

 Messrs. Beaumont, Burdett-Coutts, Crawley, G. 

 Drummond, Foster, Knowles, E. Lubbock, Praed, 

 and Pry or. 



On January 26th, after meeting at Hose Grange 

 in the vale of Belvoir, the little pack of seventeen 

 and a half couple had a rattling scent all day. A 

 regular flyer was set going from Sherbrooke's 

 Gorse the second time of asking, and he led 

 hounds at a terrific pace over the vale to Kinoul- 

 ton, and when ascending that hill to the left of the 

 gorse, the Quorn Hunt were seen, having met at 



