FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 121 



in a letter containing the following curt reply : 

 '' We alius dig. — Nicholas Spink/' 



I will quote from my diary two or three of 

 the good days which took place in my time : 



'' Tuesday, 15th March 1887.— Met at Great 

 Burdon ; sixteen couple of doghounds ; snow on 

 the ground and very cold ; drew the quarry and 

 found a brace ; killed one and took the other by 

 Fighting Cocks up to Foxhills in the South 

 Durham country, and lost him there. Went back 

 to draw Fighting Cocks ; found directly, and away 

 by Goose Pool and Burn Wood to Foxhills again, 

 and back as hard as we could go to where we 

 found him at Fighting Cocks. I saw the fox go 

 into the covert apparently dead beat, but a heavy 

 snow-storm came on and we never picked him 

 up. It was snowing most of the day, and only 

 three or four people out ; the coldest day I ever 

 remember. 



'' Saturday, 5th November 1887.— Met at Wel- 

 bury ; sixteen and a half couples of bitches ; 

 drew the Whin, four or five foxes there ; ran one 

 to ground in five minutes, then raced away with 

 another towards the hills, where he turned back 

 and we caught him at Rounton Grange ; thirty- 

 five minutes and a good gallop. Drew Deighton 

 Whin blank, then to Appleton Spinney ; a capital 

 thirty minutes up to Staindale, and stopped them 

 at dusk ; a good many strangers came by rail 

 from York. 



'' Tuesday, 27th March 1888.— Met at Long 



