312 THE IMAGE OF WAE 



ing this up by thirty-five minutes, with one check, from 

 Dingley to ground in the railway embankment by 

 Braybrooke, and ending the day in heavy rain by 

 a nice hunt from Hermitage Wood. 



Better still, perhaps, was the day which began 

 with an hour from Dingley towards Stoke ; but, 

 turning over the bottom, hounds tore the hill to- 

 wards Sutton Barrett, and ran by Ashley and Wil- 

 barston New Covert towards Mr Fernie's country, 

 and had to confess defeat under Galliborough Clump. 



Our second fox was bolted from a drain below 

 Carlton Park, and ran by Wilbarston New Covert 

 and Wilbarston Village towards Pipewell, but turn- 

 ing up-wind hounds drove him through Brampton 

 and Hermitage Woods, and lost him short of 

 Dingley. 



Perhaps my best day — and I do not forget the 

 remark that the goodness of a day depends on the 

 place the narrator held — was also in this country 

 and just about a year later. A fox from Wilbarston 

 New Covert ran a left - handed semicircle to Ding- 

 ley, and then past (up-wind) across the Brampton 

 Bottom under Wilford's Lodge to the New Covert 

 again. 



From thence he went to Stoke Albany Church, and 

 beat hounds below Wilford's. After this a fox from 

 the Warren ran by Dingley and Hermitage Wood 

 into the Pytchley country nearly to Waterloo Gorse, 

 not far from which he beat hounds. As so often 

 happens, after a good scenting day, the diary records 

 of the following one : " Sharp frost : too hard : hounds 

 sent home." 



To show, however, that fast gallops are not confined 

 to this part of the country, I will record a last day of 



