SEASON 1887-88 215 



The day was too warm for scent, until the cool of 

 the afternoon, when the pack roused a fox in 

 Burton High Wood, and ran him very hard to a 

 swallow-hole in Witham Wood. A serious accident 

 was only just averted by prompt assistance, the 

 pack crowding down into the bottom of the 

 deep hole, so that those underneath were nearly 

 smothered. Three were got out stiff and motion- 

 less, lying as if dead on the bank, but they came 

 round in time, joining in the worry breaking up 

 that fox with a demon-like ferocity. 



The big day of the season occurred on February 

 8th, with a regular flyer in the afternoon who went 

 away from the west corner of Melton Spinney with 

 sixteen and a half couple of the middle pack close 

 at his brush. A hard-riding field were soon stirring 

 up the mud in the brook, and then the railway 

 with its locked gates confronted them. These 

 Mr. Otho Paget boldly charged, got well over the 

 first, but came an awful cropper at the second. 

 Before the gates could be opened he was on his 

 horse and away with a start of the flying squadron, 

 though hounds were at least three fields in front of 

 him going like pigeons, not a straggler to be seen. 

 Before the Melton and Kettleby road was reached, 

 Mr. Otho Paget came down at a big place and 

 was put out of the run. Every horse was sent 

 along at his best pace, but it was of no avail, they 

 could not live with hounds, who streamed silently 

 away to Welby Holt, leaving that snug covert 

 with a point for Grimston Gorse. A mile farther 

 on they checked, huntsman and field catching them 



