^54 ReminUcences of a 



told that hounds have never run over this Hne since then, 

 though it is twenty-three years gone. It was a sporting 

 gallop, and a bitter cold night ; but we had a rattling good 

 pilot home in the person of Dr. Fenwick of Chilton Hall, 

 who led us through Ferryhill village, calling at the house of 

 Dr. Clark, who had, he said, an excellent prescription for 

 persons suffering from chill or exposure on a cold night. 

 You will probably guess what it was, but it was thankfully 

 received, and enabled us to jog on home comfortably in the 

 dark. 



Somewhere about this time, but shortly before I think, 

 as it was in the cub hunting season, though I cannot get at 

 the dates, an incident perhaps worthy of passing notice 

 occurred. We had not been blessed with much sport in 

 the morning, and went to what 1 understand is now called 

 Milburn's whin, where hounds chopped a cub, and at the 

 same moment another made an attempt to break away, but 

 unfortunately ran into a copper collar in the hedge, big and 

 strong enough to hold an elephant. I happened to be alone 

 on the south side of the cover, and jumped off before 

 hounds reached him and cut him free, but not having time 

 to undress him properly let him go with his collar on, and 

 a foot or so of wire trailing behind, which gave him such 

 a fright that he ran as straight as a dart and soon got 

 out of his latitude, affording us seventeen or eighteen 

 minutes' gallop as fast as hounds could race ; the country 

 being rough, the field, which was only small, had plenty of 

 spills, one or two of which looked nasty at the time, 

 especially in the case of a gentleman who came from 

 Windlestone with Sir William, whose name I did not know, 

 but I can see him well hung up on some old tree stumps on 

 the Ryai farm. We handled this fox at the right of ^ishop 



