in the Seventies and Eighties. 8i 



Some good friends are missing — not many 'tis true, 

 Foxhunters live long, their ailments are few ; 

 But of those who are gone, how fair is the fame, 

 How unstinted the praise, how scanty the blame ! 



No longer we iiear Will Claxon's wild cheer. 

 He's settled in trade — purveyor of beer — 

 No more do we list to Jack's "view holloa," 

 His whip 's cast aside for a — gardener's hoe ! 



New master commands now, new servants in charge. 

 On whose merits 'tis not for us to enlarge ; 

 Suffice it to say that the game 's kept alive, 

 With all the old spirit from eleven to five. 



The old pack 's no more, yet still in our ear 

 Rings the music of " Betsy " and " Promise " so clear ; 

 They 're gone, but their progeny 's well to the fore. 

 In colour, tongue, aye, and drive as of yore. 



'Tis pleasant to dip thus into the past, 

 And long may the fame of the South Durham last ; 

 No pack will be stauncher, no horsemen more keen. 

 When we muster next season on Great Stainton Green. 



The season of 1883-4 was only a moderate one, few good 

 days being recorded, though the Bishopton country was true 

 to its prestige on November 23rd, when two first-class runs 

 of fifty-three and seventy-five minutes were recorded. The 

 first was after what was known during this season as the 

 Fox Hill fox, whose line was invariably by Goosepool into 

 the Hurworth country, and afforded excellent gallops on 

 several days ; notably on this day, and also on January 25th, 

 1884, seventy minutes; February 22nd, fifteen minutes, very 

 fast; March 14th, thirty-five minutes. Still it was, on the 

 whole, just as bad a scenting season as 1881-2 had been a 

 good one, and though foxes were numerous, they seldom ran 

 straight for any distance. 



