40 Dick Simpson^ Huntsman. 



before the horses. The fox ran through an old stone 

 pit and went into the riding, and there he kept, 

 crossed the " Bull-Head " road over the lawn to the 

 left of the house, into the riding again, hounds gain- 

 ing ground on us. The fox then went into Quinton 

 field, Dick blew his horn ; there was not a creature 

 to be seen. He then went about half-way between 

 Quinton and Preston Park Wood, down to the 

 brook on the left of the Deanery ; straight up the 

 hill to the Newport turnpike, past the farmhouses 

 on the left, and on to Houghton field. We could 

 not gain an inch ! We were then on the steeple- 

 chase field (where I saw Captain Beecher win on 

 Vivian). There are ox-fences there. We had not 

 had much jumping so far, and the fences were so 

 large that we were obliged to jump timber, which 

 I very greatly disliked unless it were covered 

 with moss and lay away from me. However, we 

 were obliged to have it ; the pack kept on, not a 

 hound fell out of the ranks, and they sang away 

 as only those hounds could, through the Furrier 

 blood. They crossed the turnpike road and 

 entered the meadows, and went for Northampton, 

 ran straight to the mill, and on to the river-bank, 

 joining the town ; there they checked, and cast 

 left-handed along the bank, going to the right to a 

 garden in the centre of which was a bed of winter 



