1866] A DAY OF MISFORTUNES. 241 



Here they turned sharp to the right and ran under Boy- 

 lestone to Sapperton, seven miles. At this point hounds 

 divided, and the main body went on with a fresh fox, 

 which they lost at Barton Blount. This was on Christmas 

 Eve. December 27th, when they met at Ednaston, was 

 described as a day of misfortunes. To begin with, hounds 

 caught a fox with a snare round his neck ; then Pilgrim 

 died, supposed to have been ridden over by some one ; 

 and, as a climax, the fox they found in Shirley Park ran 

 into the pond and was killed immediately. 



From December 29th to January 6th there was a 

 severe frost and snow, and on January 8 th they had a 

 blank day from Kedleston. On the 10th they met at 

 Radburne, and did not find till half-past two in Sutton 

 Gorse, when they ran back to Radburne Rough and lost 

 their fox. On the top of this there came a fortnight's 

 frost, and then a good gallop from Nichols's Covert, Hoar 

 Cross, which no one saw except Tom, Charles, and Babb 

 of Bentilee. It happened in this way. They found a fox 

 in Rough Park, but could not run him a yard. Then 

 they found another in Nichols's, and ran him slowly a 

 ring through Brickhill Plantation, across Hoar Cross Park, 

 into the Round Hill. Here a fresh fox jumped up, and 

 all the field went into the road. But the hounds ran 

 straight on through the Brakenhurst with only the three 

 just mentioned with them, by Dolesfoot, Roosthill, by 

 Park Gate, through Hart's Coppice, across Bagot's Park, 

 through Hill's Wood, down to Cuckold's Haven gate, 

 where they killed him, after running all the way without 

 a check. 



Every hunting man must have noticed how odd it is 

 that sometimes hounds cannot run one fox at all, and yet 

 they can race after another, as they did on the day just 

 described. It rather bears out Charles Leedham's 

 favourite saying. When any one asked him what was 

 his theory about scent, he would say, "I know nowt 

 about theories. All I know is some foxes stinks a lot 

 more than others ! " 



VOL. I. R 



