TWO BELVOIR AND QUORN RUNS 131 



for he took the keenest interest in the sport, from 

 which he was debarred by gout and accident from 

 following. At the end of the day, if anything par- 

 ticular had occurred, the Belvoir huntsman at once 

 put pen to paper, and the letter was sent by special 

 messenger from the kennels to the Castle. 



The letter continues as follows : " Finding our 

 fox at Harby Covert and getting away on good 

 terms, hounds ran very fast in a straight line for 

 Kaye Wood — Coston Bassett ; about two fields 

 short of the wood, our fox was headed by a shepherd 

 and his dog, and, turning left-handed, we ran over 

 Pen Hill, crossed the canal, and passed Hose Gorse 

 close on the left, nearly reaching Hose, when we bore 

 to the right, and crossed the road about midway be- 

 tween Hose and Clawson. On reaching Mr. Colman's 

 house, our fox was headed by foot-people and turned 

 back over the road, then going straight for Sher- 

 brooke's Gorse ; but, disdaining shelter, he passed 

 the covert on the left, and made his way to the left 

 of Hickling, as if he meant going over the Hickling 

 Standard, but after crossing three fields over the 

 Hickling and Broughton road he bore to the left, 

 and made over the hill just to the right of Over 

 Broughton, and forward for a mile or more in the 

 direction of Willoughby-on-the-Wolds ; when a turn 

 northwards took us close to the Curate's Gorse ; 

 a man here fortunately headed him — we heard after- 

 wards it was the keeper of the covert, who headed 

 the fox from the breeding earths, which were open. 

 He turned down to the Nottingham and Melton 

 Midland Railway ; clinging to the line, crossing and 

 recrossing it four or five times. On approaching 

 Widmerpool Station, Reynard made for a small 

 planting called ' Flint Hill,' which is situated 

 about a mile from Widmerpool — north of the village ; 



