86 FOX-HOUND, FOREST, AND PRAIRIE. 



high bullfinches, or else fair stake-and-bounds ; and all were 

 such as a Leicestershire horse should cover with comfort and 

 pleasure. The pace brought its usual complement of grief; 

 and I even heard a vague rumour of somebody having doubled 

 a fallen horse and rider in a style worthy of The Lamb in his 

 second Liverpool. But when chance gave me the opportunity of 

 taking stock of the flying scene as it passed, I saw some twenty 

 good sportsmen going their best and straightest, with a dozen 

 spots in each fence to divide between them. Mr. H. T. Barclay 

 and Mr. Alfred Brocklehurst were level with the staff in office 

 while immediately close rode Count Kaunitz, Capts. Ashton, 

 Boyce, Molyneux, and Pennington. Mrs. F. Sloane-Stanley 

 was well with hounds, and the Rector of Stonesby set an 

 example that all might follow who could. " Oh, for a forty- 

 parson power ! " But this was only a flash of the changing 

 light. 'Twas thus they n eared and touched Sax by, to carry their 

 flight in varied order past Freeby to the plantation beyond 

 Day's Spinney is, I believe, the title of a modern construction. 

 A double back to the churchyard of Freeby and thirty-eight 

 minutes (a computation by average) brought a first slight 

 check to be succeeded by a possible change by Freeby Wood, 

 many circles round about Newman's Gorse, &c., &c., and a fait 

 accompli in a fox to ground by Stonesby Village. But those 

 straight four miles upwind were Leicestershire and post 

 demands epitome even after a real scenting day. 



DEAR DIRTY FEBRUARY. 



To the Belvoir belong most of the honours so far, into the 

 Melton season '82-83. Week after week they have placed 

 something handsome to their credit and not only, I believe, 

 in this neighbourhood, but in every quarter of the Duke of 

 Rutland's still extensive country. Their run of Wednesday 

 the last day of January was delightful. Not only did it come 

 after a broken period of several days, in which storm and 



