86 FOX-HOUND, FOREST, AND PRAIRIE. 



high bullfinches, or else fair stake-and-bounds ; and all were 

 such as a Leicestershire horse should cover with comfort and 

 pleasure. The pace brought its usual complement of grief; 

 'and I even heard a vague rumour of somebody having doubled 

 a fallen horse and rider in a style worthy of The Lamb in his 

 second Liverpool. But when chance gave me the opportunity of 

 taking stock of the flying scene as it passed, I saw some twenty 

 good sportsmen going their best and straightest, with a dozen 

 spots in each fence to divide between them. Mr. H. T. Barclay 

 and Mr. Alfred Brocklehurst were level with the staff in office 

 — while immediately close rode Count Kaunitz, Capts. Ashton, 

 Boyce, Molyneux, and Pennington. Mrs. F. Sloane-Stanley 

 was well with hounds, and the Rector of Stonesby set an 

 example that all might follow — who could. " Oh, for a forty- 

 parson power ! " But this was only a flash of the changing 

 light. 'Twas thus they n eared and touched Saxby, to carry their 

 flight in varied order past Freeby to the plantation beyond — 

 Day's Spinney is, I believe, the title of a modern construction. 

 A double back to the churchyard of Freeby — and thirty-eight 

 minutes (a computation by average) brought a first slight 

 check — to be succeeded by a possible change by Freeby Wood, 

 many circles round about Newman's Gorse, &c, &c, and a fait 

 accompli in a fox to ground by Stonesby Village. But those 

 straight four miles upwind were Leicestershire— and post 

 demands epitome even after a real scenting day. 



DEAR DIRTY FEBRUARY. 



To the Bel voir belong most of the honours so far, into the 

 Melton season '82-83. Week after week they have placed 

 something handsome to their credit — and not only, I believe, 

 in this neighbourhood, but in every quarter of the Duke of 

 Rutland's still extensive country. Their run of Wednesday — 

 the last day of January — was delightful. Not only did it come 

 iafter a broken period of several days, in which storm and 



