1898] FIVE FOXES IN SHIRLEY PARK. 263 



over an intricate line of country, bearing left-handed with Philips' Gorse some 

 fields on their right. They carried the line into the road towards Leigh, and, 

 turning like harriers in the road, i-an down it for half a mile or more till they 

 came to the railway near Leigh Station, where there was a long check. But 

 they hit the line forward, and, crossing the Blythe, ran nicely on over a good 

 country, in crossing which the master got a nasty fall, through his horse landing 

 up to his shoulders in a bog. In his efforts to get out, the horse struck his rider 

 in the face with his hoof. Mr. Fort finished the run with a very bloody hand- 

 kerchief stuffed in his mouth. Meanwhile the hounds checked again near Leigh, 

 but soon hit it off again, and ran into Park Hall Wood. Thence one fox went 

 away on the top side towards Leigh, and another on the opposite side, but, being 

 headed, turned back into the covert, when hounds eventually lost him after a 

 hunting run of twenty-five minutes. Mr. Philips's horse swerved at a fence and 

 carried away a small thorn tree, which he was rash enough to jump into. As he 

 lay tangled up in the bush, it was at first thought he was killed, but fortunately 

 this was not the case. Every one was delighted at Charles's re-appearance, and 

 hoped it would not be long before he was out again. 



Monday, November 14th, 1899, at Osmaston Manor. Every one was 

 hospitably entertained, as usual, by Sir Peter Walker, but the latter provided us 

 with yet better fare in Shirley Park, where there was quite an embarrafs de 

 richesse in the shape of foxes. How many there were it is difficult to say, but 

 experts were ready to swear to at least five. One old dog fox tried to break on 

 the Longford side, but was headed. Another was viewed away on the Shirley 

 side, and one couple of hounds got away on his line. Eventually hounds went 

 away at the bottom end opposite the mill, turned sharp to the left before reaching 

 it, and ran fast towards Shirley. Already a loose horse came galloping up the 

 lane, and was not caught till he got to Brailsford Bridge. To the right of Shirley 

 village they checked for a minute or so, giving time to those of the field, who had 

 got a bad start, to get up. Hounds made a swinging cast forward, hit the line, 

 and began to run in earnest in the direction of Hollington, over the best and 

 biggest part of Derbyshire. Here a gallant major [INIajor Philips, on Puma] on a 

 chestnut mare was seen sailing along in front as if he never meant to be caught, 

 but hounds hovered for a bit, which enabled his immediate followers to get on 

 terms with him. Every one was on the ride, and every one seemed determined 

 not to be left behind. The fun was getting fast and furious. There were loose 

 horses, dirty coats, and beaming faces, cracking of thorn fences, and splintermg of 

 rails. A hard-riding gentleman [Mr. Kempson], on a keen young one, shivered 

 a top rail, but saved a fall, while one of our keenest welter-weights was less 

 fortunate and spiked his hat. Hollington was left to the right, and a rather 

 sharp right-handed turn caused hounds to overrun it a bit. But they flung 

 forward, and recovering the Ime, carried it over the Brailsford road and ran 

 smartly to Culland. Here one fox went away at the Brailsford end, but homids, 

 after faltering for an anxious moment, ran merrily the whole length of the covert 

 and out at the Longford end. Bearing left-handed, they ran steadily over a 

 strongly-fenced countiy, as more than one horse found to his cost, to the Langley 

 road. Here they checked, and the cream of the fun— some twenty minutes- 

 was over. Bonner made a forward cast and hit off the Ime ; in fact, all through 

 this nice gallop he gave his fox credit for being a good one, and they ran up to 

 the main road to Derby, crossed it, and checked by Mr. Peach's house, Langley 

 Hall. From here they carried the line on a short distance across the lane, and 

 there was a long check by the farmhouse, during which a clever horse showed us 



