20 THE BROCKLESBY HOUNDS. [1814 



and the note in " Young " Tom Smith's hound-list for 

 1790, concerning Ranter, gives one an idea of the high 

 estimation in which it was held. 



Although the hound-lists go back to 1746, the first 

 huntsman's diary that I have come across is that of the 

 second Tom Smith, for the season 1814-1815, in Will 

 Smith's handwriting, the first entry being that of nine 

 brace of foxes killed during cub hunting. Regular hunting 

 began on October lOth in the Nor Woods, where hounds 

 spent the whole day, but failed to kill. 



There was a capital run from Burnham on October 

 26th. The first fox did not provide much sport, but a 

 second, found in Mr. Graybourn's turnips near Burnham 

 Warren, proved to be quite one of the right sort. He 

 went first through Mr. George Appleby's covert to 

 Horkstow Warren, but turning to the left in the direction 

 of Horkstow, he was headed back along the hilltop to Mr. 

 Hesseltine's. He then ran down the hill to Mr. Hessel- 

 tine's Holts, where he waited, and, the hounds coming up 

 with him, they ran him hard below Saxby and Bonby, 

 till, turning to the left, he recrossed the road and went 

 uphill again, Worlaby being on the right hand. On the 

 hilltop came a check, but Mercury hit it ofi', and they 

 ran left-handed to Middlegate, and then right-handed to 

 Elsham Hillsides, where they once more turned down the 

 hill, and then with Elsham Hall on the left, doubled back 

 uphill again. Then the fox turned short back through 

 Wrawby Moor and crossed the Brigg road in the direction 

 of Worlaby, hounds eventually marking him to ground 

 below Elsham. This is what Will Smith says about the 

 run — 



" The hounds so well deserving him, we dug him out and gave him to them. 

 It would not be doing justice to make any remark on any hound in particular, 

 every liound endeavouring to excel each other, and better hunting never was 

 seen. It was an indifferent scent, and mj' father said he thought he never saw 

 a fox so well recovered and hunted so well in his life." 



Two days later a Bradley Gears fox provided a capital 

 gallop before surrendering his brush at Riby. Rattler 



