i62 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



Cottesmore, and as a rule one or other of these packs 

 meet close to Melton on this day. 



Much of the Quorn country, too, can be reached 

 from Leicester, and Mr. Fernie's hounds also come 

 right up to this Midland town, while a corner of the 

 Atherstone country is well within riding distance. But 

 whereas Melton Mowbray is still of no great size, and 

 retains its countrified appearance, Leicester has be- 

 come a huge manufacturing town, with a large indus- 

 trial population, and though placed almost in the heart 

 of the Shires, it is by no means a sporting place. We 

 have seen Mr. Fernie's hounds in the outskirts of 

 Leicester more than once, and have a vivid recollection 

 of their crossing the racecourse at Oadby, in full cry, 

 while a steeplechase meeting was in progress ; and 

 whilst this speaks for the fact that Leicester is a handy 

 enough place to hunt from, it is nevertheless the case 

 that no one who can have his hunting quarters in the 

 pure, undiluted country will care to spend the winter in 

 a manufacturing town. There are, of course, nooks 

 and corners in the town of Leicester which are redolent 

 of foxhunting, and legend galore of the early days of 

 the Quorn hangs round the old Bell Hotel, which was 

 once well patronised by hunting men, but new bricks 

 and mortar, electric trams, steam foundries, and tall 

 chimneys have caused such an alteration in the place 

 that even the Quornites of the mid-Victorian period 

 would fail to recognise it now. 



And this was vividly brought to our notice by 

 a stranger we met in the train. Journeying from 

 St. Pancras we had for vis-a-vis an elderly man of 

 sporting cut, who at once gave tongue, and was soon 

 hard at work on the line. After five minutes of gener- 

 alities he whipped on to fox, and he told story after 



