1872-73] Frank Beers' Diaries. 131 



Village on the right, straight away through Stowe Wood 

 without dwelling a moment, over the hill and Everdon 

 brook, and short back to Mantel's Heath to ground. 

 Had we killed him this would have been one of the best 

 runs I ever rode to, the pace being so good throughout. 

 A great many falls ; a great many in the brook. I was 

 carried magnificently through this famous run on Step- 

 away ; he proved himself a remarkable stayer ; no other 

 horse went the distance he did. 18 couples mixed. 

 Brocklesby was my second horse." 



'' 1873. Jan. ist. — At Castlethorpe. Found at Pike's 

 Gorse and ran away to Castlethorpe, and lost him. 

 Found again in Gayhurst Wood, away through Stoke 

 Park, over the road nearly to Ravenstone Village, 

 through Ravenstone Wood, through Horton to Hackle- 

 ton, straight away to Salcey, which he did not enter, 

 but ran short back to Horton House, where hounds 

 killed him. A capital run ; lots of falls. I got into a 

 pond, and Captain White jumped in after me and 

 knocked me head over heels under water, and I was 

 obliged to swim across ; was never so wet in all my life, 

 but I went on and killed my fox afterwards. The pond 

 was at the corner of Ravenstone Wood. 17 couples 

 of dogs. I rode Oxford and Rifleman. 



"Jan. 6th. — Found a fox in Stowe Wood after ringing 

 there an hour or more, went away over the hill to Goff's 

 House, away through Everdon Stubbs, Mantel's Heath, 

 Knightley's Wood, Little Preston Wood on the left, 

 away nearly to Preston Capes, through Little Preston, 

 away towards Adstone Gorse, leaving Adstone and Maid- 

 ford on the right, through Seawell Wood, over the road 

 away over the bottom, pointing for Farthingstone, over 

 the brook, and ran into him in the grass meadows point- 

 ing for Stowe. An hour and thirty minutes in the open. 



K 2 



