18821 MR. TOM SMITH OF WORCESTER. 83 



hunter under him, the fence must be big indeed that can 

 baulk one of whom some ardent admirers say that he is 

 ' the best man in England.' Jumping a stiff bit of timber 

 into boggy ground, he nearly got stopped, and at least 

 one, who followed there, found himself floundering up to 

 his horse's girth, then up to his own boot-tops, in mire. 

 Meanwhile hounds, having swung left, across a ridge, and 

 swept down the next hill, had got into the osier-beds below 

 Radburne. With a merry burst of music, they took up 

 the line, through that, out at the far end, and on at speed 

 to the middle of Mr. Chandos-Pole's Park. There, on 

 ground foiled by hundreds of feet, they came to a long 

 check. Leedham made a wide cast forward without avail, 

 and, coming back to complete it, hit on the line, when our 

 hunted one, turning short round, had retraced his steps 

 towards the Rough. Through the covert they hunted it 

 again, began to run a little harder on the hill beyond, 

 checked once more on some freshly ploughed land, and 

 could make nothing more of it, though they persevered 

 in a way worthy of all praise to the last — these Meynell 

 dog-hounds proving that they are as good in work as they 

 are in looks, and that is saying a great deal. 



" Drawing Sutton Gorse blank, they then went on 

 towards Foston, while the loss of a shoe necessitated my 

 return to Etwall. Here a tenant of the soil was o'ood 



o 



enough to enlighten me as to the reason for a recent 

 scarcity of foxes in his neighbourhood. ' If thoi ride 

 over ten or twelve pounds' worth of ship in wawn weaak, 

 and doant paiy no recompense, thoi can't expect to foind 

 fawxes.' " 



The remainder of the day was not of much interest. 



On the Saturday they met at Bretby Mill, and had a 

 rare good gallop at a great pace from Repton Shrubs, past 

 Foremark, through Robin AVood to Stanton village, six 

 miles as the crow flies, and the bitches ran clean away from 

 every one except Mr. Frank Rendall, Lord Harrington, Mr. 

 Henry Boden, Charles, and Lord Ferrers' first whipper-in. 

 Lots of people never saw hounds again that day. 



