1816] THE DITCHLEY EUN. 53 



to ground. This is not correct, for Mr. John Lucy has told 

 us that Avhen the hounds were running well in the park, the 

 deer ran amongst them and entirely spoilt the scent. Mr. 

 John Lucy alone got to the end of the run, but Lord 

 Molyneux and Mr. Hugo Campbell came up ten minutes 

 after the fox was lost. We were told by the late ISIr. 

 George Hawkes, of Talton, that Sir Charles Mordaunt 

 went as far as Heythrop on a four-^^ear-old horse, wdiich 

 he had only just bought from Mr. Manning for 450 

 guineas, and it was a pity that he did not jduII up so 

 young a horse sooner, as he died two days afterwards. 

 The early part of the run as far as "Hook Norton was in a 

 severe country, but this was not the case during the 

 remainder of it. It rained, with a cold wind, during the 

 whole run, which occupied an hour and a lialf. The 

 distance was eleven miles and a half from point to point, 

 and about fifteen as hounds ran — not very much out of the 

 straight line after passing Sibford. " Scrutator's " account 

 of the run, both as to where the fox was found and wdiere 

 the hounds ran is erroneous, and both he and "Castor" 

 have overrated the distance traversed. The pace was first 

 class throughout, and this is proved by the fact that 

 neither the huntsman or the whips, w^ell mounted as they 

 were, got "lear the hounds, and could give them no 

 assistance had they required it. The pack remained for 

 the niglit at the Duke of Beaufort's kennels, and the 

 hounds did not hunt on the next day. 



A very hard day was that which took place from a meet 

 at Ufton Wood in 1810. A fox was found in the Holt, 

 and ran by Ladbroke and Eadbourne to Napton, and from 

 thence nearly to Fenny Compton, where he turned short 

 back, and was killed in the open before he could reach 

 Napton, after an hour and twenty minutes run at best pace 

 over the finest country. 



Debdale was drawn next, and another fox was found 

 which, although he did not run over so fine a country, 

 proved quite as stout as the one which had been killed at 

 Napton. The scent was as good as it had been in the 



