1817] THE FIE8T WILL SMITH. 33 



over the brook, and going through Keelby, went back to 

 Roxton Wood again, and splitting up into several lots, 

 were stopped there. 



On March l4th Will Smith took a nasty toss iu 

 Clixby Moor, and had to go home ; nor was he able to 

 hunt the next day. 



A meet at Peeks then, as now, was generally productive 

 of good sport, and March 17th was one of the lucky 

 occasions. They found directly, but unfortunately chopped 

 their fox ; however. Smith at once took hounds to a holloa 

 on the Scartho side, at which village the fox was headed 

 and turned down the boundary fence between Scartho and 

 Waltliam, and through Bradley Gears as if for Laceby. 

 Turning left, hounds then swung round by Barnoldby 

 towards Waltham, but being headed, the fox led them 

 close past Brigsley, and right-handed round to Waltham 

 again. AVith the village on the left, they pressed on to 

 Peeks, but turning with the coverts on the left, they 

 swung round, placing Holton and Waltliam close on the 

 left as they ran to Bradley Gears once more. And once 

 more the fox doubled back to Waltham ; but hounds were 

 coming up liand over liand, and, running from scent to 

 view, rolled him over there. There was a capital scent, and 

 hounds ran hard all day ; there was no important check. 



Poor sport marked the close of the season, the country 

 being very dry and scent indifferent. Hounds killed 129 

 foxes in all during the season, which opened for regular 

 hunting on November 4th, 1816, and closed on April 18th, 

 1817. 



The cub-hunting season of 1817 was not productive 

 of good sport, the country being very dry, and scent bad ; 

 but the huntsman was satisfied at the way his youngsters 

 had entered to the chase, aad he killed twenty-three brace 

 of foxes. The regular season opened on October 27th at 

 Foxdales, there being poor sport in consequence of the 

 bad scent, though hounds killed a brace of foxes. 



The first noteworthy item was a fast run from Bradley 

 Wood on November 17th, first between the Gears and 



D 



