1899] SPORT MODERATE. 285 



every one experienced a feeling of thankfulness on landing in safety. Mean- 

 while hounds ran nicely nearly up to the road from Radburne to Sutton, where 

 they checked. But, making a good swing to the left down-wind on their own 

 account, away they went at a good pace over a branch of the Trusley brook by 

 Dussey Bank and over the road from Sutton to Etwall, where they checked, and 

 the best of it was over. Still they hunted on across the main Derby Road by 

 Hilton Cottage, and then touched his line at intervals in the direction of Eggin- 

 ton till he ran them out of scent. The time up to Hilton Cottage was about 

 twenty-five minutes, and fifteen more till they gave him up. Later on they 

 found in the green covert at Burnaston, and, after running for ten minutes, 

 killed close by. Two ladies, hurrying with information of a fox's whereabouts, 

 got upset out of their cart in a ditch, and were rescued by Steve, while hounds 

 ran their fox slowly by Mr. Waite's farm, and lost him near Spilsbury's Planta- 

 tions, thus ending a day snatched out of the fire, or, rather, out of the frost. 



Saturday, Newborough. Hard frost. 



After the frost, which stopped hunting on Monday and Tuesday, every one 

 was delighted to be out again on Wednesday at Blithbury. The latter used to 

 be a name to conjure by, but, alas ! Ichabod ! the glory has departed, and so 

 have the foxes, since Mr. Crossman left us. Consequently everything was drawn 

 blank till we got to the Brakenhurst, where a brace of foxes was soon on foot, 

 and promptly went away, one towards Hoar Cross, and the other in the direction 

 of Yoxall. Hounds ran the latter across to Yoxall Lodge, and lost him. They 

 found again in the Brakenhurst, and the fox went through Jackson's Bank and 

 out at the bottom end. But they got away on bad terms with him, and, after 

 hunting him slowly a small half-circle, with an indifferent scent, they lost him. 

 After drawing Byrkley blank, hounds went home. 



Thursday, Swarkestone Bridge. A rough, disagreeable morning did not seem 

 much in favour of good sport, and the sequel did not belie appearances. The 

 Lily Pool osier-bed was blank, but hounds found two or three foxes at the Back 

 Cuttings. One they chopped, and another they ran across the canal to Chel- 

 laston village and killed him in an outhouse. Jule's Covert failed to hold a fox, 

 but Hell Meadows sustained its reputation, and a fox went away at once on the 

 Findern side, only to be headed promptly by a sportsman on foot, whose fore- 

 cast of the fox's probable course was superior to his discretion in making use of 

 it. Eventually, when one fox did go, two couples of hounds slipped away with 

 him, and, of course, spoilt the fun for the others. So they could only hunt very 

 slowly to Findern, where the fox tried the well-known refuge of his race, which, 

 like the schoolboy's lie, has often proved " a very present help in the time of 

 trouble." -To-day, however, it was closed against him. Not that it made much 

 difference, as things turned out, for he ran them out of scent a little further on 

 towards the railway. Bunker's Wood and Mickleover Foiu'-acre proved tenant- 

 less, but a good fox went away from Potlucks, across Radburne Park, leaving 

 the Hall on the left by Silver Hill stud farm to Pildock Wood, just beyond which 

 they checked, but ultimately they ran on to Meynell-Langley Gorse. Here they 

 probably changed, as, with an improved scent, they chattered cheerily along to 

 the right of Meynell-Langley Hall nearly up to Vicar Wood, where they swung 

 to the right nearly to Markeaton, and back again to gi'ound in Meynell-Langley 

 Gorse, thus completing a nice little run of twenty-seven minutes. A short time 

 spent in digging resulted in unearthing a brace of foxes, and hounds, probably 

 getting on to the fresher one of the two, ran him at a rare pace over the Derby 

 and Ashbourne road to the Pildock Wood, and on to the Derby-Radburne lane, 

 where a sheep-dog coursed him and proved a friend in disguise to the object of 



