Belvoir Hunt. 85 



whips, drew up on the western slopes below 

 the castle, the field assembling by the stables, 

 the whole offering a picture not to be found 

 in any country but our own. Many ladies 

 joined the hunt, including Mrs. Broke 

 Tumor, Miss Willson, Mrs. James Hornsby, 

 Mrs. Wigram, Mrs. Hall, Miss Turnor, etc. 

 A heavy rain had fallen during the preceding 

 night, but the clouds lifted, and it was fair 

 by ten o'clock, so that those who attended were 

 not inconvenienced by wet clothes. But the 

 land was in many places under water, and 

 a learned gentleman from the Vale was heard 

 to remark that the ditches had overflowed to 

 such an extent that attempting to ride to 

 hounds would be about as risky as the fate of 

 those who had the hardihood to patronise 

 gentlemen of the profession which he followed, 

 for he appeared to be either a solicitor, an 

 attorney, or a lawyer, and I suppose the 

 difference would be in similar ratio to that 

 between Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-de. In a 

 short time the cavalcade moved off to Barkston 

 Wood, where hounds disturbed a brace of 

 foxes, and had a short gallop towards Plungar, 

 thence bearing away to Stathern, where 

 reynard got the best of it. Afterwards a 



