1883] GREAT BRAILSFORD RUN. 103 



Disdaining to take shelter in its well-stocked coverts, he 

 kept on by Crop-o'-Top, within two fields of Sutton church, 

 through Mr. Wooddiss's farm, close by Sutton Gorse — if he 

 entered it he did not dwell a moment. The pace was now 

 faster than ever up to Highfield, over Mr. Finney's land — 

 who was not out to-day — and on to the Squire's Radburne 

 covert close to the Great Northern Railway ; time, one 

 hour and forty minutes. Here we had a minute or two 

 to turn our horses' heads to the wind, and very much it 

 was needed. Those who had ridden the line found their 

 steeds jumping dangerously short, and hanging out un- 

 mistakable signs of distress. Few were so fortunate as 

 to find their second horses, but the Master and Charles 

 were among the lucky ones. It was soon found that our 

 fox had run the whole length of the covert and out at the 

 northern end. The hounds had to pick it out slowly 

 through the wood, and for a few fields beyond towards 

 Mickleover, giving a little much-needed relief to our 

 pumped-out horses. But the respite was of short dura- 

 tion. We were now going due east, towards Markeaton, 

 and were soon within a mile of Derby, when he again 

 swung sharp to the left, past Mackworth school — it used 

 to be a school — to Radburne Common on the right of the 

 village, hounds again running as fast as ever, to near 

 Langley Gorse, and, for the second time, towards Dalbury 

 Lees. But the end was at hand. Poor Pug was now 

 barely a field in front, and the eager pack racing for 

 blood. Just managing to reach a little spinny, not 

 twenty yards square, between the Lees and Radburne, he 

 lay down in the ditch in sight of the Field, but, as the 

 hounds dashed up, he made one last effort, coming straight 

 towards us. In a moment horses, fox, and hounds were 

 ' all of a heap,' and, in another fifty yards, one of the 

 stoutest of old dog foxes that ever ran before hounds was 

 pulled down in the open, at 1.42 p.m., being two hours 

 and twenty minutes from the start. It was not a straight 

 run, but we were never over the same ground twice. I 

 cannot attempt to calculate the distance, but it must have 



