20 HUNTING AND SPOETING NOTES. 



was lingering on the riglit, hounds were fairly flying 

 parallel with the London and North- Western Kailway for 

 flardwicke Gorse and the Black Birches. " Thank God," 

 said the persevering ones, ''for a hard high road," which 

 helped materially to catch the hounds, and put all 

 into a good humour, as they flew on by Nevitt's 

 ^^lantation, leaving Yortoii Station on their right, and 

 soon brought the horsemen with extended pipes to 

 Broughton Gorse. Here it is avenged that foxes were 

 changed. The one that went away with the pack at his 

 brush looked fresh. There having been no time for getting 

 second wind, Sleap Gorse was passed, and the Ellesmere 

 Toad nearly touched, when he bethought him of hospitable 

 Petton, and, cutting round to the left, ran the boundary 

 of Sir Watkin's and the Shropshire country with 

 extraordinary cleverness, giving the rear division a chance 

 to cut in and have the inside of the circle. Every fence 

 ;and ditch here are sneezers. The black soil luckily rode 

 loose, and not so holding as in drier weather, but still 

 those really with the hounds were few, and the dirty coats 

 many. Petton proved an impossible haven for him to-day, 

 so lie tried for Middle Park, and a few fields further, at 

 the Harmer Hill Quarry, he was cracked up in good style, 

 after fifty- five minutes of brilliant going. 1'his gallop, I 

 thi]ik, takes the first place in the {Shropshire season so 

 far, although Borderer hopes it is only an augury of 

 still better things to come. 



1 liave picked np no news of especial interest about Sir 

 Watkin. His last Baschurch Monday before the frost put 

 its hard mark on the country, was, I hear, pleasant, but 

 of no extraordinary virtue. One fox was killed in the 

 Adcot shrubberies, and another Nesscliff way. Plenty of 

 dashing about, but no real straight going. Lockey, 1 hope, 

 has recovered from his nasty blow in the mouth which 

 knocked out his teeth, a serious thing to a huntsman, who 

 ,lias to be continually blowing his horn. While I write 

 the frost is disappearing beautifully, the week's meets 

 read temptingly, and I may be able to put in a postscript 

 of yet one other day before this diary closes. 



P.S. — M} promised postscript shall be forthcoming. A 

 nicer hunting morning than opened on Monday, 

 December 13th, never gladdened huntsman's eye. The 



