212 FOX-HOUND, FOREST, AND PEAIIUE. 



MARCH MOMENTS. 



North Kilworth on Wednesday, March 9, showed what a 

 Pytchley field could be — in the final spring month, and on the 

 day following the Rugby Chases. I dare not call upon my 

 meagre descriptive powers to attempt any picture of the surging 

 mass that spread out over the country when fox and hounds 

 went away from Kilworth Sticks. Perhaps half the crowd 

 belonged to Northamptonshire ; the others came from any- 

 where, everywhere — and a few were very alarming on their 

 strange mounts, and in their strange fashion of treating a packed 

 gateway as though it were a scrimmage at football. During 

 the greater part of the day there was fortunately not even scent 

 enough to allow of their riding over hounds — the latter being 

 absolutely helpless. Then, after witnessing a close-running fox 

 well hunted to death round the hills of Hemplow, more than 

 half of them went home. 



But no cross-country scurry could well be brighter, while it 

 lasted at its best, than the evening gallop of to-day from 

 Elkington (Lord Spencer's) Covert. A strong remnant of the 

 hundreds of the morning (all hope of a run long ago dismissed 

 from their minds) stood by while a brace of foxes broke covert 

 across the grassy hills on the Cold Ashb;y side. They holloaed 

 the one that turned for Hemplow, but the little ladies coursed 

 the other to Elkington Bottom (half a mile's distance). To 

 gallop in and out of these steep gulleys is like a memory of 

 Exmoor, or of the green tops of the Neilgherries. The quickest 

 and truest of pilots in such and similar case is one of our 

 ex-Masters,* to whom Badby Wood is never a labyrinth and 

 Nobottle never a difficulty. His lead showed a ready outlet in 

 a bridle-path handgate, from the dell to the open country. 

 Such a change now from all that had belonged to morning and 

 midday ! Hounds driving and straining — the quickest from 

 covert still in front, every one of the others racing to reach the 



* Mr. J. A. Craven. 



