1879-80] Frank Beers Diaries. 155 



of foxes were on foot. So we stopped them with dififi- 

 culty, owing to our horses being dead beat. The time 

 was just an hour, and a more beautiful line it would be 

 impossible to find. Had we killed him it would have 

 been the most perfect run I ever rode. Out of a lot of 

 good men only five of us were there at the finish ; the 

 Duke, Mr. Alfred FitzRoy, Mr. Muntz, a farmer and 

 myself. Mr. Muntz went wonderfully well, and said it 

 was the finest run he ever rode, and the stiffest country 

 in England to finish. 



" The dog-pack did remarkably well, hunted beauti- 

 fully, and raced along to the finish. We had about 

 twenty-four miles home on tired horses. I never knew 

 a fox take a finer line of country. It was thought by the 

 Duke that we changed our fox at Catesby, which probably 

 was the case, as I don't think any one fox could have 

 stood the dusting ; they ran him so hard to start with. 

 His Grace went well in the last run. 



''Jan. gth. — Whistley Wood. Found directly, after 

 running once round the Wood they went away, Halse 

 Coppice to right ; bore to the left through Bartlett's New 

 Covert, over the road, leaving Whitfield Village to the 

 right, along by the brook-side nearly to Biddlesden, over 

 the brook, through top corner of Crown Lands, towards 

 Astwell Park down the grass fields, past Abthorpe, to 

 the right along the railway to Wappenham, through 

 Weedon Coppice, ran from scent to view, and bowled 

 him over along the meadows^pointing for AUithorn. One 

 of the best runs I have seen, and never did I see the dog 

 pack do better. Out of a large Field only a very few 

 were up at the death ; a great many were lost, and many 

 thought they were sure to go into Bucknells, and 

 never saw them again. Found again in Kingthorn 

 Wood, they ran to Bradden and lost him. As we were 



