Alhrighton Hall. 59 



a few yards away, lie was overtaken and killed — sic 

 transit gloria Condoveris. Of course Bomere was blank, 

 and thus tlie day ended. 



On Friday, at Albrighton Hall, there was a repetition 

 of Monday's drenching rain, but perhaps the smiling 

 welcome of Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow softened Jupiter 

 Pluvius' heart. At all events, at eleven o'clock, the clouds 

 rolled away. Overcoats were cast to the winds, and Preston 

 Gubbalds received the eager pack, A fox was on his 

 legs instantly, and whilst the field were chatting up wind, 

 the hounds slipped away down wind, and were fields 

 away towards Hadnal before the majority awoke to the 

 necessities of the occasion, and set to work to gallop madly 

 round the covert in a folio w-my4eader sort of fashion. 

 Luckily, the fox was satisfied with a short excursion to 

 the railway at Hadnal, and then, twisting northwards 

 towards Hard wick Gorse, found a convenient rabbit -hole 

 ere he got there, which brought this unsatisfactory little 

 twenty minutes to an end. There was another fox in the 

 Gubbalds, but Thatcher could make very little of him, 

 and we moved off to draw Battlefield way, all to no purpose. 

 Then we had rather a meaningless excursion back to Birchy 

 Moor before once more retracing our steps across the 

 London and North - Western Railway, to finish the 

 Battlefield coverts. It was impossible to suppress a sigh 

 over the hours thus passed in drawing the finest holding 

 coverts in North Shropshire for the first time this season 

 .since cub-hunting, and not one whimper of response did 

 they afford us. At last, at half past three, when many 

 of our field were tired out, and had turned towards home, 

 the order was for Pointon Springs, as a last resource. 

 Minutes grew into a quarter of an hour, and still 

 Thatcher's efforts were unavailing — the covert had been 

 three parts drawn, when a couple of sportsmen were 

 suddenly exercised in their minds as to what animal crept 

 past them through the bushes — neither would quite 

 swear that it was not a hare. The master s horn settled 

 the question, and the next minute a dark, straight- 

 necked looking fellow was dashing away across the open 

 for Shawbury Park. The hounds did not settle on him 

 quickly, but when they did there was no mistake about 

 their intentions. Like fire they flashed through the Park, 

 and swept out over the great ploughed lands lying 

 j)arallel with the main road to Shawbury, crossed it before 



