AN AWKWARD FENCE 345 



dividing, the pace was tremendous and the country very severe, 

 as well from the continued succession of steep hills as from the 

 formidable nature of the fences. Not above a dozen rode to 

 hounds, including Sir Richard Sutton, his sons, Potchin, Freke, 

 and Tomlin, and myself on "Carlow. " 



Among the awkward places I may mention the top of 

 Burrow Hill, where we had to descend a declivity almost 

 perpendicular, over a low stone wall and jump a fence at the 

 bottom. Very few ventured down this place, " Carlow " went 

 down like a cat and jumped the fence at the bottom well. 

 Another awkward place was out of a turnip field into an 

 adjoining field which lay higher and the fence was first a ditch, 

 then a hedge set up on the higher ground with a rail just 

 beyond, very dark coloured, so as to be scarcely visible. 

 " Carlow " went at it so beautifully that I could hardly help 

 lookino- more at him than at the fence. His eve was on the 

 rail and setting his ears forward and arching his neck he went 

 at it in magnificent style and cleared the whole without touching 

 a twig. Nearly all the leading horses took the same fence in 

 various parts, awkward as it was, without a fall, though some 

 rattled the timber about not a little. Leicestershire is certainly 

 the country for fine horses and bold riders, nor is it to be 

 wondered at the horses becoming clever, for in addition to the 

 stiff fencing the ground, though grass, is so broken up by ridge 

 and furrow, and grips, hollows and mole hills, as to require a 

 very clever horse to go full swing across it without a mistake ; 

 but this " Carlow^ " did to-day to perfection. 



No sooner had the hounds eaten their fox than another 

 was tallied and seen going straight up the opposite hill. The 

 hounds took up the scent and swept up the hill as mute as 

 mice, horses following without much respite from their pre- 

 vious exertions and with every appearance of another clipper ; 

 when upon the fox working round again from its native planta- 

 tions Sir Richard very properly decided not to destroy another 

 this morning, and had the hounds whipped off We then 

 trotted off to Ouston Woods, soon found, and had another run 

 not equal to the first ; finished by a great deal of galloping 

 around this large covert, to which we had, I believe, come back 

 again. After this the select few who stayed went away to 

 Tilton Woods and adjoining coverts, where we found again, all 

 the field being left behind except Ben Morgan, the Huntsman, 

 mounted on his second horse, a maQ-nificent erev — so beino- 

 nearly 4 o'clock, gave it up. 



Pym had previously left with his friend Potchin : the latter 



