1899] GOOD BRAILSFORD DAY. 311 



After drawing Culland and Brailsford Car blank, they found in Boden's Thorns a 

 fox, who went away on the Sutton side, and ran the lane to Sutton for a short 

 distance, till he made a detour to the right, only to return to the lane again 

 shortly, which he followed for a hundred yards, and then turned out of it to the 

 left and then made off towards the Spath. Hounds came into the lane, crossed 

 it, and ran a line briskly, in the opposite direction, back to Boden's Thorns, when 

 they dwelt for a few moments, and then went away towards Thurvastou Stoop- 

 During this little ring a very popular and hard-riding young lady [Miss Geraldine 

 Mosley] got down through her horse over-jumping himself, but picked herself up 

 pluckily, declaring that no harm was done. Leavmg Thurvaston on their left, 

 hounds ran hard by Dalbury Hollow to Radburne Rough. Here they swung 

 right-handed round Mr. Frank Newton's house at Bearwardcote, as if they were 

 going for Potlucks, but turned short of this left-handed, pointing for the earths 

 beyond the Derby and Etwall Road. Before reaching them there were two lines, 

 but Muslin and Verity were racing up a hedgerow as if they were fairly coursing 

 their fox, and the huntsman naturally cast in his lot with them. For some 

 unaccountable reason, however, scent changed in a moment from hot to cold, and 

 the hounds, which had been chasing like fire, were suddenly brought to their 

 noses ; so much so, in fact, that eventually all trace of the fox was lost, thus 

 bringing a capital run of nearly forty minutes, three-quarters of which had been 

 decidedly fast, to an end. This was voted by a good many people the best day 

 we have had so far this season. 



Saturday. — A dense fog prevailed at Newborough and elsewhere. 



Tuesday, November 28th, at Birch Wood Park, and a good old-fashioned 

 Tuesday too. Hounds never, it is true, ran any great pace continuously, nor 

 did the fox make any distant point, but when this is said, there is nothing more 

 to be urged against a very enjoyable day. To begin with, they found at once in 

 the Birchwood and ran across the Field-Milwich road pointing for Chartley, but 

 soon swung right-handed for Fradswell dimbles, where they checked. Hitting it 

 off again, they ran, leaving the Hall on the right, down to the lane below, where 

 the fox ran the road for a bit, and hounds puzzled it out prettily, till this fox left 

 it, and turning right-handed, gave them a chance of running a little faster over 

 sound pastures. Thus they forged ahead over the Gayton-Milwich road, and 

 across the Gayton brook, till they checked in Gayton Gorse. After being headed 

 once at the bottom end towards Sandon, their fox broke covert at the top and 

 led them over a rough sporting country, intersected by deep ravines, and decidedly 

 hilly. Here the little bitches, having plenty of room, chattered along memly 

 till they got to Sandon big wood, whence their fox must have got a long start of 

 them, for, although they could just feel the line back towards Gayton, there was 

 not sufficient scent to make it worth while to persevere and run the risk of un- 

 necessarily disturbing coverts in a neighbour's country. They had been running 

 for over forty minutes up to Sandon Wood, and as far as Gayton Gorse, or 

 perhaps even a mile beyond it, in a very fairly straight line. They found again 

 in the Birch Wood, but could not make much of it, so Chartley Gorse was called 

 upon, and, as usual, not in vain. Like the famous Tar Wood fox of immortal 

 memory, this one " waited not, he was not found," but slipped quietly away on 

 the Gratwich side, so that some cattle running about excitedly three fields away, 

 and hounds striking a line simultaneously, alone gave notice of the fact. Hounds 

 were away in no time, or a good part of them, at any rate, and turning short left- 

 handed up-wind fairly raced, with only a gallant captain [Captain Dugdale], on a 

 rare hog-maned bay, really with them, to the Birch Wood. They checked in the 



