" JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME." IQI 



Cross' best horses, was goin<J along well with Major McKie, 

 Thatcher, Margorie, Mr. Keith Gvvyer, and one or two more 

 ridin<4 on the ri-^ht of the pack. Beyond the cover there was 

 a holloa, and like lightning, Thatcher had his hounds out and 

 over the King's Norton Road, where a moment's hesitation and 

 the inside of the turn gave the field a chance of closing up. 

 Hounds had run well to this check, but the best was still to 

 come As they carried the line down to the brook, McKie had 

 crossed and viewed one fox from the rising ground. Again 

 Thatcher lifted his hounds forward, while his field were held 

 up by the narrow gates and ford. This last manoeuvre had 

 put the pack on good terms, and they were running hard in the 

 teeth of the gale, making the pace a cracker from this point to 

 the end. Beyond the ford came three more fences, at the first 

 of which ' Week End ' put Margorie down, and then came the 

 Carlton bottom. Holding the ' Grange ' on the left, the pack 

 began to go away from the leaders, and gallantly as Thatcher, 

 McKie, and one or two others cut out the work, they 

 were a field or more ahead, as the now beaten horses breasted 

 the slope to Col. Chaplin's house. Thatcher and Mrs. Fernie, 

 with a few more, turned through the grounds, but McKie, a 

 lady and myself, crossed the road to the left. There was a 

 hound carrying the line across the bottom, but as with a word 

 from our pilot to keep our eyes open, we reached the brow 

 beyond, a burst of music and Thatcher's jubilant who-whoop 

 proclaimed the death of our gallant fox, 43 minutes from the 

 find, in the corner of the same field. Ah ! Mr. Jorrocks ! and 

 you others who say ' never take your hounds out on a windy 

 day,' what price this my friends ? 



Another fine hunt ensued from Sheepthorns to Shangton Holt, 

 and on to Tamborough Hill, through which cover they 

 pushed their fox almost to Thurnby, but I left them beyond 

 Tamborough and rode home in clearer weather. Great luck 

 changing to my best of horses just in the nick of time. I never 

 knew before how she could gallop and stay. 



"THE HUNT OF A LIFETIME." 



" The Stockerston Run." 



Saturday, 25th February 191 1. Mr. Fernie'sat Horninghold. 

 A morning towards the end of February, the sky slightly over- 



