Sir Watlciii at Wliitchurch. 11 



scattered in a stern chase. A good wild fox probably 

 pursued the even ten our of his wav to the Edge Wood, 

 unharmed, beyond Netherwood. 



Friday brought a big gathering to the Fifth Milestone, 

 on the Baschurch road, including a good contingent from 

 Sir Watkin's, who could not restrain a compliment to 

 Thatcher on the splendid ap])earance of his pack. The 

 Leaton coverts, as usual, produced a plentiful supply of 

 foxes, upon whom the attention of the pack were kept for 

 a long time without eliciting a run in the open. And it 

 was not until two o'clock, that a move was made for Hen- 

 cot Pool, from a little gcu'se close to which, a straight- 

 necked one put m an appearance, and the hounds getting 

 away at his brush, a sweet gallop resulted to ilie Bircliy 

 Moor, near Albrighton Hall. Fine flat fields, fair fences, 

 and a flinging away of halting propensities, made only too 

 sadly short by the cry of " Gone to ground," when Pimhill 

 and other nice places in the front were beginning to be 

 reckoned upon as the possible points of the run, and 

 " home" was the word. 



Saturday, at Whitchurch, as usual, drew together a 

 monster throng from Shropshire and Cheshire. The 

 morning with its touch of east wind sharpened the wits if 

 not the nerves of the majority. First came a parade of 

 Whitchurch, of which every inhabitant, from ten to four- 

 score, rushed out to be a spectator. At Hinton, Sir Wat- 

 kin, in his In-ougham, gladdened us all by putting in an 

 appearance. The first spinney drawn, Hinton Grorse, 

 produced a fox, that ran into the jaws of the pack in less 

 than five minutes. Three judicious cracks of the whip, 

 before hounds are thrown into a small spinney such as 

 this, would surely be wise, just to awake him to the real- 

 ity of coming events, before the crash of hounds is upon 

 him. Here, however, two or three could well be spared, 

 so thoroughly are they preserved. No. 2 was awake and 

 away ere half the hounds were in the cover, and a pretty 

 start we made up to the top of the hi]l, and then down 

 to the Hall, circling back to a drain at some farm 

 buildings after a few minutes' scurry. No. 3 was being 

 hallaoed on the higher ground towards Wirswall at the 

 same time, and he eventually went down the hill towards 

 Quoiseley, and then to the left down to the canal, which 

 he crossed, and the majority of the field went hither and 

 thither to a brido-e. Some e-ot as far as Maesfen. Not 



