COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 347 



them on to a holloa one field off, having to jump a 

 nasty double, with a rail towards me to get at it. 

 "Governess" first spoke to the line, and off we 

 went again, crossed the bottom from Farndon, which 

 Vivian jumped first and fell ; I scrambled in and 

 out. Nethercote, White, Fraser and Topham were 

 first at the next fence. Hounds then began to go 

 down the hill towards Lubbenham, one field to the 

 right of the Farndon and Harborough road. I got 

 into the road, and here Dick and Charlie (my boy) 

 joined us. Hounds crossed the road into the big 

 field, at the Harborough corner of which is the 

 Welland river. Charlie had a shy at the rails and 

 tumbled over them. I went further up the field for 

 a broken rail. Dick and I both lay to the left for 

 Lubbenham covert, thinking that was his point, but 

 he crossed the river and rail at the Harborough end. 

 We lifted the railway gate off its hinges, and crossed 

 near the covert — Topham, Mills, Mayou, Charlie, 

 etc. We caught the hounds at the Harborougrh and 

 Lubbenham road. They then turned their heads 

 towards Bowden Inn, and began to run hard. 

 Grief began to be visible at the next fence, a nasty 

 place up hill ; Birch Reynardson had his horse in 

 the ditch, and was exclaiming, " Oh, dear ! oh, dear ! " 

 Two fields further on my mare began to trot (she 

 had a good dressing with the first fox, having run an 

 hour up and down the rides in Loatland Wood). I 

 heard Dick whistle behind me, and say, " Take my 

 horse, sir ; he has ten minutes left ". I changed 

 with him, and told him to get *' Rainbow " from 



