1901} AN UNRULY FIELD. 347 



nearly to Sutton Gorse, where they were stopped, while the huntsman, with about 

 three couples, all he could collect out of the melee, was doing his best to set 

 things straight 



" When, starting from the cuvver sold, ye see bowd Reynard burst. 

 Ye canna' 'ave no 'unting if the gemmen go it first." 



This was the couplet which might well have been ringing in every one's ears to 

 the accompaniment of the howling wind. It was a calmer field which jogged off 

 Trusley-wards in pursuit of the missing couples, which we found with the first 

 whipper-in and Mr. Garnett, they having succeeded in stopping them before they 

 got into Sutton Gorse. This having been drawn blank, we went to the Spath 

 and found. Hounds ran fast from the Sutton end to the left of the church, 

 nearly to Dussy Bank, where they checked. There were two foxes in front of 

 them now, and the huntsman cast to the left, and hounds could just ovm the 

 line, but it was evident there was no scent, so the master gave the order for 

 home, for which probably few people were sorry, as it had been, from a climatic 

 pomt of view, a remarkably disagreeable day. 



Saturday, New Church. A rising glass and a really nice morning may have 

 had something to do with the large number of people who put in an appearance. 

 Hounds found almost immediately in Yoxall, and running over to the Brakeu- 

 liurst, soon marked their fox to ground. He was eventually dug out and killed. 

 When we had done with the Brakenhurst, Birch Wood, Bath Wood, and Nicholls' 

 Wood were all drawn blank, so hounds tried the Brakenhurst again, but it was 

 not till they got to the far end of Jackson's Bank that we heard — 



" Their doubtful notes, preluding to a cry 

 More nobly full, and swell'd with every mouth." 



A brace of foxes went away and ran round the New Church, back into the 

 Brakenhurst, and it was with a grand cry indeed and great dash that the little 

 bitches chevied their foxes in two lots parallel with each other, till, halfway 

 through the wood, one fox went away on the Newborough side, and the pack 

 joined forces. Driving their fox through from end to end, without giving him a 

 moment's respite, they killed him fairly and squarely in the open just below 

 Jackson's Bank, after a spirited sixteen minutes, and a fine old dog fox he was. 



Monday, March 18th, Hilton Village. A bitterly cold north-east wind was 

 blowing strong, when hounds were thrown into Hilton Gorse, whence a fox went 

 away on the side nearest the village, but was not pursued. Then they found 

 an unlucky fox in a spinny below the gorse, who was drowned in the brook. 

 Pennywaste was blank, but they found in Jackson's plantation and ran to the 

 left of Pennywaste, checking just beyond the road from Heath top to Heath 

 House Green. A cast to the left recovered the line, and they ran nicely up-wind, 

 crossing the road to Church Broughton, which village lay on their left as they 

 ran over the brooklet, which caused some grief, nearly up to the Rookery Planta- 

 tion, Barton Blount, where they lost their fox. The Foston top covert was 

 blank, but they found in Park Covert, and ran out towards the Dove, cross- 

 ing the Sudbury-Scropton lane, where the fox was viewed. But scent seemed 

 to be bad, for they could make but little of it, and a smgle hound slipping on 

 towards Sudbury station did not help matters. The huntsman, however, soon 

 made up his mind which way his fox had gone, and holding his hounds on 

 between the river and Scropton- Sudbury lane, came to the Sudbury main road 

 on the Derbyshire side of the bridge. Here a lady homeward-bound had seen 



