GREAT RUN OF THE PYTCHLEY FROM KNIGHTLEY WOOD. 489 



right to the patch of gorse on the hillside by Church Char- 

 welton. Just previous to this — among the double hedgerows 

 wherein, as some of you may remember, the Grafton a couple of 

 years ago killed three foxes almost together — a brace were 

 before hounds. Probably a fresh one jumped up as they 

 passed : for they went on paying no attention to him in view. 

 Rounding the church and its plantation (where culminated the 

 great Braunston gallop of two seasons ago) the little party 

 struck the bridge across the brook-dam — two amenable double 

 fences coming in their way just beyond. And so they held on, 

 over wide, wellgated, bullock grounds still, till they hit a single 

 field of arable by Hiuton House — and hounds had to put their 

 noses down for a moment, while riders took a first brief pull at 

 their horses. 



The pace at starting — after slipping the crowd — had pre- 

 vented any connected following ; so that, after the group of a 

 dozen or twenty in front, there were scarcely links enough to 

 bring on the lengthening tail, though there was the bridleroad 

 close handy on the left, and the Daventry-to-Byfield turnpike 

 on the right — each within one field of the line of hounds. The 

 latter went on unassisted ; crossed the main road just men- 

 tioned, and left Byfield to their left — running hard and well on 

 the right of the road to Upper Boddington. This too they 

 turned over short of the village and just beyond the reservoir — 

 the little stream feeding it having caused more than one fall. 

 Mr. Waring on his grey — having at his heels little Miss Byass 

 on her chestnut pony — was there to cheer them over, a few 

 men jumping out of the road to cross the brow between Upper 

 and Lower Boddington, the rest taking due advantage of the 

 still convenient macadam. The Bicester meeting-place (where 

 I regret to learn, the good veteran Mr. Cowper has been for 

 some time kept within doors) was passed — that and the little 

 village remaining to the left, as also the parallel lane to 

 Claydon, which was most useful after crossing the East and 

 West Junction Railway. Besides those above-mentioned, there 



