52 THE BILLESDON HUNT. 



away, but the efforts of the pack were 

 frustrated by a very large and over ambi- 

 tious field. A move was then made to 

 Shankton Holt, where three foxes were in 

 readiness ; and the hounds, soon settling to 

 a veritable ancient, rattled him along at a 

 merry pace over those beautiful pasture 

 fields to Illstone, thence to Rollestone by 

 way of Skeffington Vale, streaming away to 

 the Skeffington road, where the first check 

 occurred. Recovering the line, they hunted 

 it admirably to within a field of Billesdon 

 Coplow, where he was headed and finally 

 lost near Billesdon Windmill. 



On the 1 6th, they met at Staunton 

 Wyville, and had a merry spin from Lang- 

 ton Caudwell to Hallaton, and with a 

 second fox from Staunton wood to Cranhoe. 



They had a famous day on the 14th of 

 November, when Knossington was the ren- 

 dezvous. A good fox was viewed away 

 from Ranksborough gorse, pointing for 



