l88 OUR AMERICAN COUSIN. 



Famous Runs, 



as graphically described, in his Hunting Joiirnaly by 

 H. MosTYN Pritchard, Esquire. 



On Thursday, 21st March, 1908, Millie, Margorie, and I went 

 by the breakfast train to Hallaton, taking with us Averell 

 Harriman, to give him a hunt in the Shires before sailing to 

 America next day. The Caudle had given us a bad fox, and 

 both Glooston and Stonton had failed, when we got behind 

 a good one at Noseley. A big Thursday field, supplemented 

 by many Pytchley people, started with them, and despite the 

 pace and the big line which hounds travelled, a very good 

 number stuck to them to the finish. Running nicely to Ilston, 

 the bitch pack kept round the left of the village and gave us 

 some nice fences to negotiate and hard galloping to keep with 

 them; the first big obstacle was the Carlton bottom. 

 Thatcher as usual was first, with Margorie and Major McKie, 

 Pat Nickalls and Sam close alongside or behind him, and 

 fence after fence presented itself in rapid succession and was 

 duly left behind, whilst hounds raced on over the next brow, 

 and crossing the next bottom near the bridle-road headed for 

 Norton Gorse ; turning down the Stretton Road nearly to 

 King's Norton, they swing away left-handed round the covert, 

 and rather defeated the right-hand brigade by this manoeuvre. 

 At this point I caught a glimpse of Harriman on one of Hames' 

 horses, and Margorie on ' Success ' was going strong a hundred 

 yards ahead of me. Over the next bottom and up the next 

 rise without a pause, and after crossing the Billesdon bottom 

 at a jumpable place, the pack passed the Leicester Turnpike, 

 and entered the Quorn country half-way between Billesdon 

 and Houghton. The pace had been distinctly fast and fences 

 big, all the ditches seeming to come on the take-off side, with 

 the result that not a few who started from Noseley had 

 already come to grief. Driving on down wind the fleet little 

 ladies soon covered the distance to Billesdon Coplow, but 

 sheering off from that celebrated covert, checked for a moment 

 under Botany Bay ; our quarry, however, had other views 

 regarding his safety, and without entering either of the coverts 

 he held gallantly to his original line, crossed the railway below 

 Quenby, and was viewed away from the pack in the direction 

 of Baggrave. A moment's breather gave our horses a much 



