1898] A HILTON DAY. 267 



and then, by way of variety, treated us to a left-hand turn. Near Sapperton 

 Bonner got a view, and a farmer on a galloping horse looked all over like catching 

 the fox. Hounds, however, though close at him, could not run him, and could 

 only just pick out the line to a point between Church Broughton and the top 

 P'oston Covert, where they were at fault. There was a halloa forward towards 

 the covert, only two fields away, which would have been useful, only the hunts- 

 man, who was casting back, did not hear it. However, as soon as he got the 

 information he lost no time in slipping up the lane, and a good bold forward cast 

 on the far side of the covert recovered the line. They ran across the Sapperton 

 brook pointing for Sapperton, but checked again shortly, and eventually gave him 

 up close to Mr. Hellaby's, at Mackley, a few fields from Sudbury Park, after a 

 slow run, with a bad scent, of forty minutes. The fox, however, had reckoned 

 without his host, or rather without the Master, for the latter had a shrewd idea 

 that our friend \n.y perdu in the covert at Sapperton. Events justified the idea, 

 for hounds roused their fox with a crash which could be heard in Sudbury village, 

 and forcing him into the open, rolled him over one field from the wood. They next 

 found a fox in the top Foston Covert, and ran him to the Pudding Bag behind 

 Foston Hall, where they lost him. They found again in the top covert, but scent 

 had gone from bad to worse, and, it being useless to persevere, hounds went home. 



Another sharp frost and some snow in the night did not look very rosy, for 

 Tuesday at Blithbury. The roads were very slippery for horses going to covert, 

 but there was no frost in the ground to stop hunting. Cawarden Springs were 

 blank, and so was Mavesyn Kidware osier-bed. In Pipe Wood hounds seemed 

 Just to touch on a stale line, but no fox was there. Rough Park was blank, and 

 so was Laurence's Wood, and they never found till they got to Birch Wood at 

 Hoar Cross. The fox went away across the Abbots Bromley turnpike, and 

 hounds ran him with a fair scent, bearing left-handed, parallel with the road, 

 down to the brook below Child's Coppice, when they checked. " Rose again the 

 joyous rally," as Whyte Melville has it, and so inspiriting was the cry that five 

 choice spirits flew the brook in their stride and galloped in hot haste in the wake 

 of the now flying pack, while the majority went " in and out clever," A sharp 

 turn to the left through the corner of Child's Coppice, induced a bold stranger 

 [Mr. Lonsdale, Master of the Bicester], on a clever mare, to jump the very awk- 

 ward stile into it. " So for twelve fair minutes they ran and they raced," and 

 the few who were with them fairly romped along in their wake like school-boys 

 at play, though the ditches were deep and the fences were strong. Into ^ the 

 Birchwood they swooped, and then all was practically over. " What a pity," 

 remarked a hard-riding soldier [Captain Dugdale], who had been very far from 

 last all the way, and he expressed the general opinion. There was a brace^ of 

 foxes, and they probably changed. Anyhow, scent did entirely, and, after messing 

 about the Birchwood for a bit, the hounds went home. 



On Thursday, at Brailsford, we were favoured with a perfect hunting morning, 

 although on Tuesday evening odds of six to four could have been had against our 

 hunting at all. Strange to say, there was a small muster for a Thursday. Hounds 

 found at once in White's Wood, one of Mr. Cox's coverts, and ran sharply across 

 the wind parallel with the main Derby Road, Turning right-handed across the 

 road, they ran fast up-wind, leaving Brailsford Hall a few fields on the right, down 

 to Culland, This short, sharp burst of fifteen minutes brought more than one 

 trusty hunter and daring rider to grief, A lady was down under her horse, and 

 tardy was the relief tendered to beauty in distress. A gentleman on a young one 

 found the top-binding of a high stake-and-bound fence too strong for him, while 

 one of our best and bravest [Mr. Kempson] found teaching the young idea how 



