140 Frank Beers Diaries. [1871.-75 



killed him ; gave it up. A good scenting day. I rode 

 Dandy and Grey Mare. 20 couples of dogs. 



" Jan. 8th. — Blakesley Village. Found in Plumpton 

 Wood. Went once or twice round the wood, at last 

 away pointing for Canons Ashby, to the right across 

 Adstone F^ields^ straight through Ashby Gorse ; up the 

 hill road he was headed, and sank the valley to the 

 ■osier-bed near Charwelton ; was headed by a shepherd, 

 ran along the brookside, nearly to Hinton Gorse, turned 

 •over the fields as though he meant Eydon, short back, 

 leaving Canons Ashby Ponds on the right, past Mr. 

 Flowers's house to Lichborough, down the bottom, where 

 we viewed him, raced in view to Farthingstone. He 

 evaded the hounds by the people hallooing so much ; got 

 back to Lichborough, on through Knightley's Wood and 

 Little Preston Wood, out at the bottom corner pointing 

 for Preston Church Wood, where they killed him going 

 with his head set for Hogstaff, Ran into him in the 

 ■ open, after one of the best runs the Duke of Grafton's 

 Hounds have ever had. Time, two hours and ten minutes. 

 I rode Stepaway nearly all the run ; he carried me 

 brilliantly, but he never had such a severe day in his life 

 'before. We had a tremendous Field out, and many came 

 1© grief, and a great many tired horsey. Mr. Rice, jun., of 

 Northampton, broke his horse's leg. We then went to 

 ■Seawell, found a great many foxes ; the hounds divided; 

 we ran past Lichborough to Stowe Wood. Stopped the 

 hounds, a very hard day for them, they ran remarkably 

 stout just after the frost. 19 couples of bitches. 



''Jan. 18. — Foster's Booth. Found several foxes in 

 Stowe Wood ; after ringing round the covert for nearly 

 half an hour, killed him. Went away with another, 

 pointing for Weedon, hurried to the right, away 

 leaving Heyford Ironworks on the left, Bugbrook on 



