1886J LOED NORTH RELATES. 145 



man on foot, who told nie they had gone to Chadshunt. 

 At Chadshunt not a soul to be seen, nor yet a sound, so I 

 thought tliey were either gone to the Osiers or on towards 

 Bowshot. They were not at the Osiers. On I went 

 towards Kineton, when I met a man in a cart. ' Oh yes, 

 they were over the hill towards Compton.' Then it 

 struck me for the first time that they might have found ! 

 ^ Lor, yes ; they was running like mad.' So off I went as 

 liard as I could for Compton. As I came in sight of the 

 house I heard a holloa, and saw a man standino- near the 

 bridge, so I at once rode towards him. He was evidently 

 a tourist. ' Hi ! young man. Hi ! ' bawled he. ' Which 

 way are they ? ' holloaed I. ' Which way's what ? ' was 

 the answer. ' Hounds, of course,' said I. 'Oh, I've not 

 seen them.' ' Then why the devil did you holloa ? ' 'I 

 want you to tell me whose beautiful seat this is.' I don't 

 exactly remember the answer I gave ; I expect he does. 

 Off I went again towards Bowshot, where I met Mr. 

 Whitworth's second horse coming along from Moreton 

 Wood direction at a pace his master would not have liked 

 iit all. 'Oh, dear, my lord, what a carpital run. Wherever 

 master be I don't know, nor do I know where the hounds 

 are.' But just then jVIr. Corbett came towards us, and told 

 us, and then we saw they were between Friz Hill and 

 Wellesbourne. They were all standing in a field, and T 

 thought they had killed him, but it turned out Willoughby 

 had staked his horse in the nose. What had happened at 

 Itchington Holt, I believe, was this : They hit on the line 

 of a fox near Christmas Farm, and ran right through the 

 Holt, and on by Chadshunt to Staple Hill." 



" On another occasion, having found in Oxhill Gorse, and 

 run down to Oxhill Village, I galloped through the village; 

 the hounds crossed the brook, and ran up towards the Ban- 

 bury Eoad, heading to the right. There I found T had 

 •cast a fore shoe, and so pulled up into a walk. In the 

 Banbury Road I met a clergyman driving with a very 

 buxom-looking young lady in a gig, into which they just 

 fitted, and no more. ' Beg your pardon, sir,' says I, 



Vol. II. L 



