324 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [looo 



sort was there to-day, for, in spite of being headed in such a way as to daunt aiiy 

 but a bold fox on the Long Lane side, he went away on the Sutton side witli 

 equal courage. After a long check by the cross roads the huntsman hit him off' 

 by the bridle-road to Longford, and hounds began to run towards the Spath, as 

 'ar as the road to Longford. Here they turned sharp right-handed in the direction 

 of Culland, crossed the Longford-Derby road half a mile or so on the Derby side 

 of the Longford inn, hunted on over the brook, and checked. Hitting it off again, 

 they hunted slowly on over the Longford-Brailsford road, left Reeve's Moor just 

 on the right, Longford Car on the left hand, and made their way over the lane to 

 Rodsley by the end of the Car. Here they checked, but a good forward cast set 

 matters right, and they hunted on, parallel with the bottom, pointing for Yeaveley. 

 Just behind Yeaveley church this fox was given up, as it looked as if hounds 

 would probably disturb coverts wanted for the next day. This was the best hunt 

 of the day, as the fox had made a fair point after they had hunted him for nearly 

 an hour, with a very catchy scent. 



Friday was devoted to a bye-day at Snelston, though a sharp frost overnight 

 made the possibility of hunting doubtful. However, the going on the grass was 

 all right, even if the roads and the arable land were hard. Hounds found at once 

 in the New Gorse, and ran across to the Holly Wood, after checking beyond the 

 road which divides the two coverts. They re-crossed the same road close to 

 Darley Moor, and ran into the road from Darley Moor to Snelston village, which 

 they followed for a short distance, till they turned right-handed over the Park, 

 and crossing the road to Clifton just short of the top of Colliecroft Hill, ran 

 into the Holt. Coming away at the top, they crossed the road from Rodslc}- 

 to Ashbourne, swung tirst left-handed and then right-handed over the road 

 from Edlaston to Osmaston, by the little brook in the bottom, and so on 

 into the osier-bed at Osmaston. Here they checked, and the wire-netting 

 had evidently puzzled the fox, whose windings equally puzzled his pursuers, 

 till Tuneful cut the Gordian knot by getting away on his line at the Shirley 

 Park end. Up the hill they went, with Shirley Park just on their left, and 

 sinking the hill again, ran nicely up to the earths in the spinny by the bridle- 

 road which leads from the Yeaveley-Shirley road to Osmaston. Luckily the 

 earths were stopped, and our fox had crossed the last-mentioned road, pointing for 

 Longford, There was a good deal of wire hereabouts, which somewhat hindered 

 our progi-ess, but hounds were some way behind their fox and could run but 

 slowly, till they were checked by the brook this side of the road which leads from 

 Alkmonton to Longford. A cast towards the last-named place set matters 

 right, and they hunted slowly through the corner of the Car up to the earth by 

 the cricket-ground, which the Colonel [Colonel the Hon. W. Coke] had promptly 

 occupied in anticipation of the fox's move. Some thought that our fox had 

 turned to the left past the Hall, but Wedlock and one or two other trusted 

 comrades of the chase ruled it otherwise by hitting the line down the road 

 towards Mamerton. It was wonderful that they could own the scent on a hard- 

 frozen road, but own it they did and carried it nearly to Mamerton. Just beyond 

 this the huntsman cast to the right and hit off" the line of a fox pointing for 

 Barton Blount, which, however, they could not carry for more than two or three 

 fields before they checked again. A cast to the right hit off a line pointing 

 straight for Potter's, which it was not deemed advisable to disturb, and the 

 hounds were stopped after hunting for about an hour and twenty minutes, during 

 which there had been a fall or two, but with no ill effects. Take it altogether, it 

 was a much better hunt than we had any reason to hope for under rather adverse 

 climatic conditions. They found a fox, or rather a brace, in Cubley Gorse and 



