308 The Post and the Paddock. 



hardly raise a trot, made reply, " Yes, sir, I think 

 we're driving on that way." Only six, including 

 Sebright, who got first to the hounds, saw the finish 

 of this run, of which the following is the official 

 account : 



" The meet was at By thorn Toll-bar. We tried and found a fox at 

 Raund's Meadow, ran him a ring of twenty minutes, and then a second 

 ring of fifteen minutes. The hounds were then stopped and taken 

 away, as we were afraid of spoiling a good day's sport with bad foxes. 

 We then trotted off to Hunt's Closes, when a good fox was found im- 

 mediately, and went away in view ; ran by Covington, leaving Dean 

 village on the left and Swineshead on the right, through the Wood and 

 Keyso Park, over Thurleigh parish by the Gorse, and through the 

 spinneys to Ravensden Grange. Here, owing to an unfortunate view, 

 the hounds ran their fox heel way, and could not be stopped till they 

 got back to the cover. Once put right, we went over Renhold parish 

 into Goldington field, and had the town of Bedford in front of us. We 

 went down Goldington field, leaving the village on our right, the fox 

 evidently pointing to the river Ouse, but turned to the left, across 

 Hunting Park, over the parish of Great Barford, by Green-end, Birch- 

 field, and Roxton Spinneys : and when near Chawson the hounds were 

 stopped. The fox was killed by some workpeople with a timber-cart, 

 about a mile from where the hounds were whipped off. We were then 

 forty miles from home, and so much tired that we were obliged to stop 

 at the Cock at Eaton all night, and returned home on Sunday morning 

 through a most violent storm of snow and hail. The distance, as near 

 as could be guessed, was about twenty-five miles, and was done in two 

 hours and forty minutes." 



Lord Exeter's racing blood is to be found not only 

 in Northamptonshire, but in many of the hunting 

 stables in Berwickshire and North Northumberland 

 (which still remember the dead Rocket, and boast of 

 the equally famous Charley-boy), as Mr Robertson 

 of Ladykirk had both his Patron and Dardanelles. 

 Lamplighter was also bought by this gentleman at 

 Lord Berners' sale ; The Colonel, too, had his turn 

 there ; Rodomeli, who looks up to sixteen-three with 

 hounds, was one of his latest importations, at, we be- 

 lieve 300 guineas ; and Harkaway, who was bought 

 for 100 guineas less, was proxy for Little Known, 

 who owns no superior as a hunter-sire. The old 

 " Fergusson chestnut's" stock are generally chestnuts 



