COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 263 



gather till we got to the Luggarshall road. Here 

 ' Ransome ' made a drive up the furrow of a ploughed 

 field (only the second we had seen), and then stopped 

 as if she was shot. The fox had been headed by a 

 plough and turned and shot to the left. ' Nosegay,' 

 ' Governess ' and one other hunted the line, and I 

 nicked in with the body in the field before them, and 

 away they scored again. They ran up the Luggars- 

 hall and Piddington road for the length of two fields. 

 The fox was headed and turned down to the right, 

 ' Gallant ' making a good hit. The fox then shifted 

 one furrow, * Dreadnought,' another young one, hit- 

 ting that off. Twice the fox tried to make his point 

 at Piddington village, but both times was headed by 

 hedge-cutters, but he tried it a field further on, and 

 then turned up again and set his head for Muswell 

 Hill. In the turn the body ran over it, but ' Nose- 

 gay ' carried it on and never left the line. When we 

 crossed the Piddington and Luggarshall road the 

 second time, two or three horsemen joined, but I had 

 no time to see who they were, two Drakes, Holland 

 and I having the best of it. When about half-way 

 up the hill the hounds paused among some cattle, 

 but ' Blossom,' ' Governess ' and two others hunted 

 it through. When they got to the top, hounds turned 

 short to the right, and I lost sight of them for two 

 fields. The hill is very steep, and I got into a very 

 deep stubble field, so I pulled to a trot to ease my 

 horse. I went through a farm-yard, when I found 

 myself again in the field with the hounds, and above 

 them, they having gone down the hill, Ned Drake 



