4 1 



no doubt, of being better acquainted with the nature and 

 character of this ox-fence), the hedge thick and plashed, 

 and the rail beyond them strong. Neither was this all. 

 There was a considerable fall, or drop, into the next. field, 

 which would have been bad enough had my horse landed 

 himself on the ridge ; but, unfortunately for us both, he 

 alighted in the furrow, which was deep and sticky. The 

 drop must have been six feet, at the least, and he had a 

 hard struggle to keep his legs, for he must have cleared 

 more than seven yards in length, or he would not have 

 got over it at all. It told upon him ; but I soon got him 

 upon a headland, and, standing up in my stirrups, took a 

 good pull at his head, which recovered him wonderfully, 

 before he got to the end of the ground, which was sixty 

 acres or more ; but you know, Mr. Raby, the thorough- 

 bred ones will do this. In short, he cleared a high gate 

 into the Uppingham and Leicester road, a little to the 

 right of Billesden, and a large, straggling, blackthorn 

 hedge, and a ditch out of it, with apparent ease to himself, 

 and greatly to my delight. ' This cannot last long,' I 

 said. ' I wish the fox would die, or that I had any horse 

 in my stable save this ; but Pug must go to ground in the 

 Coplow, or, at least, we may come to a check in it.' The 

 devil a bit ; he never went into the Coplow at all, but 

 straight away, as if for Lozeby plantations. I shall kill 

 the young one, thought I ; but what could I do? We 

 went right over Tilton field the worst ground in the 

 country for a tired one and out of it I got another fall ; 

 but I believe it was my own fault. The fence was of this 

 description, it was plashed, newly plashed, with growers 

 in it as thick as a man's leg ; but (confound all 

 Leicestershire hedgers and ditchers !) the brushwood 

 leaned, uncut, towards me, over at least two yards of 

 ground, and there was a wide ditch on the landing side. 

 Brilliant was going gallantly at it, when, perhaps, think- 

 ing I was upon Harkaway " 



Mr. Raby. " Pardon me for interrupting you, Mr. 

 Somerby, in your highly interesting and well -told 

 description of this fine run ; but allow me to ask why those 

 who have such large studs of hunters at Melton do not 

 always have two horses out each day, which would afford 

 a chance to change in the course of the runs ; at all events 

 in many of them ? " 



Mr. Somerby. "Your remark is an obvious one. A 



