Belvoir Hunt. 119 



brushing and padding their prize before throw- 

 ing the merited morceaux to the gallant little 

 pack. Our amateurs, however, did not shirk the 

 responsibilities which the escapade entailed, for 

 in a short time they came jogging along with 

 their charges, and the trophies on their saddles, 

 to re-unite with the main body at Stubton. 



With the advent of 1895 frost made its 

 unwelcome appearance, retaining a pertina- 

 cious grip for two months. But there was a 

 slight break about the 21st January, when 

 Lord Edward Manners appointed to meet at 

 Belvoir at 12 o'clock. Deciding upon a journey 

 into the vale it was agreeable, after late ex- 

 periences, to feel horses splashing through the 

 wet and the frost mostly gone. Gillard waves 

 his pack into the Rectory Covert, where 

 startled hares scuttle about in all directions, 

 and some say there's no fox. Wait a bit. In 

 a few minutes reynard goes sailing away in 

 face of a batch of horsemen on the north, 

 whose resolutions lead them oif in the wake 

 of hounds across flooded fields to the Bottesford 

 and Melton railway. Trains luckily happened 

 to be scarce at the time, and the line was 

 crossed without hindrance, the pack running 



