1896] THE FIRST DAY STEPHEN CARRIED THE HORN. 221 



the barracks, at Normanton, exhausted all the laudatory 

 epithets known. 



February 3rd was one of those nice, still, grey days, 

 when hounds ought to run and so seldom do. There was 

 a report that the Dovedale fox, which they had hunted on 

 January 20th, was back again in the Ednaston osiers. He 

 was getting to be so famous a character that a lot of foot 

 people went to see if he was at home, and of course dis- 

 turbed him. However, he only went as far as Bradley 

 Wood, where he was found. Away he went down the 

 hill, almost into Ashbourne, where he turned right-handed 

 across the Sturston brook, and ran by Ashbourne Grove, 

 turning left-handed as if for Fenny Bentley. Before 

 reaching it he travelled along the ridge, with Woodeaves 

 Mill in the hollow on the left, skirted Kniveton, crossed 

 Haven Hill, and left Bradbourne Mill just on the left. 

 Here there was a long check, the fox having been headed 

 ^nd having run the road. Hitting it off, they hunted on 

 to within two fields of Brassington Rocks, where Charles, 

 no doubt thinking it useless to persevere with a travelling 

 hill fox, who had got fifteen minutes' law, stopped the 

 hounds. However, they had better luck next time, as 

 will be seen by " X's" account, which will appear presently. 



Meanwhile, on February 13th, Charles having lost his 

 sister Eleanor, Stephen Burtenshaw, the first whipper, 

 carried the horn. They did nothing much at first, but 

 later on they had a good run with a twisting fox, and 

 sometimes two or three in front of them, from Parson's 

 <jorse. The line was through Radburne Rough, and on 

 as if for Trusley. A fresh fox jumped up en route, and 

 they ran on almost to Boden's Thorns, but turned to the 

 left by Dussy bed and the Ash, where the fox made a short 

 turn back, and then ran straight up the Trusley brook 

 side to Brailsford, being pulled down in the open near 

 Pool Head, after a capital run of one hour and forty 

 minutes. Every one, metaphorically, patted Steve on the 

 back, though the critics complained that his voice was not 

 good, and that he Avas not much of a horn-blower. 



