18641 RUN TO MODDERSHALL OAKS. 233 



by Hilderstone, into Moddersliall Oaks, where the fox got 

 to ground. This was at least an eight-mile point, and 

 was supposed to have been done in fifty minutes. It was 

 a very rainy day. This is odd, because on the two other 

 occasions, which we know of, when they ran to Modders- 

 hall Oaks, it rained very hard. 



On the 1 5th they found in Brailsford Gorse and ran 

 as hard as they could go for seventeen minutes, as straight 

 as a gunbarrel by the church, down the Culland meadows, 

 into Longford Car. Here they never dwelt, but were off 

 again in an instant, and raced across to Bentley Car, 

 through it and down to Foston — seven miles in forty - 

 eight minutes. Changing foxes, they ran up to the Church 

 Broughton road, where they were stopped and brought 

 back to Foston. From this they went away again and 

 ran a wide ring through Pennywaste, below the house, 

 and nearly to Sudbury Park, where they turned and came 

 back by Sapperton, all round Foston, till at last the fox 

 went to ground in a pithole at Mackley, after a capital 

 run of three hours with a good scent all the time. It was 

 a calm, fair day, with the wind in the east. 



It snowed and froze at night, and there was no more 

 hunting till December 22nd, when they had a long ring- 

 ing hunt of three hours all about Chartley and Fradswell. 

 Then came another week's frost, two days' hunting after 

 it, and then frost again till January 5 th. Even then the 

 weather was decidedly against good sport, being very 

 rough and changeable. Still, on the 16th, from Foston, 

 they had a great day, and tired all the horses. They did 

 not find till they got to Sutton Gorse, and ran a nice ring 

 of twenty minutes from there, away again across Hilton 

 Common, back under Etwall, and lost their fox unaccount- 

 ably. Then they found in Hilton Gorse, crossed the brook 

 by Sutton, ran nearly to Trusley, turned to the left 

 almost to Brailsford, and came back by Longford Rectory. 

 Thence they ran nicely down the meadows to Barton 

 Fields, where Mr. Chandos-Pole-Gell was living, and up 

 to Barton-Blount Hall. Time, forty-eight minutes. Here 



