"never despair. WHYTE MELVILLE OUT. 27 



Keythorpe Bridle-road, over the Turnpike at Hinckley Bridge, 

 over Belton and Loddington Road, through Belton Spinnies up 

 to Launde Park Wood, and I stopped them running a fresh fox 

 out of Launde Park Wood down towards the Abbey at five 

 o'clock ; quite dark, every horse beat, and no one but Lord 

 Hopetown to help me. 



This was the most punishing and most severe run I ever saw. 

 Hounds went clean away from everyone ; all the horses were 

 beat. Lord Hopetown and myself had just sufficient power 

 left to stop the hounds. We had been running all day. I rode 

 " Despair," and from this day changed his name to " Never 

 Despair." 



Whyte Melville Out with the Billesdon. 



February 15th. Met at Slawston. Found at Slawston Thorns, ran 

 very quickly by the church up to Fallow Closes, delayed a 

 little, went on by Hallaton Wood to Norton Hill plantations, 

 through Keythorpe Wood and up to Glooston Wood, where he 

 got to ground as they were just killing him. Found again at 

 Langton Caudle, ran by Church Langton, through Sheepthorns 

 up to Langdon Road, over it, by Pateman's Lodge straight by 

 Shangton Holt, where I saw the fox ; ran the road on top of 

 the covert, left Hardwick on the right, by Noseley to Goadby, 

 down to Rolleston Brook, over it, up almost to the gorse ; here 

 we had a check ; bore to the right, over the brook again to 

 Skeffington High Fields, where we gave him up after a very 

 good I hour 10 minutes. 



This was a capital day ; great triumph ; as all the Pytchley 

 swells were out, viz., Whyte Melville, Lords Spencer, West- 

 moreland, and Bateman ; " cum multis aliis." 



March 27th. Hounds met at Ilston-on-the-Hill. Found at Glen 

 Gorse, and killed after a very severe 50 minutes ; the hardest 

 day of the season, ground so fearfully deep ; horses all tired ; 

 several died, including Lord Spencer's ; only about six got to 

 the end. "Conjuror" carried me through both runs, the only 

 one I had out, but he was cooked ! ! ! 



Resume of the Season i86i-6a. 



All admit that we have had a wonderfully good season. Not 

 a week has passed without one good run, and often two or 

 three good runs a week. The ground has always been wet, 

 and to this I suppose we must attribute in a great degree our 

 good sport. We have not been so lucky in killing our foxes 



