George Beers, Huntsman. 65 



asked me if I thought he could catch a fox. 

 I replied : 



" No doubt you can, my lord, with a good 

 scent ; Beers has given the foxes in the forest 

 such a drilling, and such a thinning, that they 

 will run for their lives." 



His lordship enquired where he should begin ; 

 I suggested Porter's Wood, about a mile from 

 the large coverts, adding, '' They will open the fox's 

 mouth if they can get away with him, he will 

 then run the plains and the rides." The forest 

 was then nearly double its present size. 



The fixture was Whittlebury Green. It was 

 a perfect hunting morning as luck would have 

 it, and the hounds were taken to Porter's Wood. 

 A fox was found and ran rather well round the 

 wood and out at the top towards Whittlebury ; he 

 was an enormous old fox, the hounds did just 

 what I w^anted them to do ; they raced over three 

 fields and across the centre of Sholebrook Lawn, 

 into the jungle, where, having no peace allowed 

 him, he took to the rides and plains. 



His lordship was very happy,! I was glad to 

 see such a good prospect, knowing well what 

 would happen if we did not succeed. On we 

 went, no sign of a check, and we made a 

 seven-mile point and reached the outside of the 



