1821] THE FIRST WILL SMITH. 45 



and, when reunited, being stopped from the chase as it 

 was too dark to go on. 



December 23rd was a very good scenting day, the 

 sport consisting of a series of four bursts, and hounds 

 killed their fox at the end of each. The first was one 

 of twenty-five minutes from Johnny Grotts ; * the second 

 one of thirty-five minutes from Eough Pastures to the 

 Brocklesby Woodlands, and back nearly to Roxton Wood, 

 where hounds killed in the open ; and the last a very 

 fast eighteen minutes from Barrow Black Mould to Bonby 

 Furze, hounds running from scent to view and killing 

 Ijeforc the fox could reach its shelter. 



Frost interfered with the sport fixed for the last few 

 days of the old year, and hounds only once went out 

 between December 23rd and January 9th ; the first good 

 thing coming off on January 20tli. This was a very fine 

 run indeed of an hour and forty minutes from Keelby 

 Sprothorns, the fox first crossing the brook as if for 

 Stallingborough mill, and then turning right-handed t<> 

 Riby Slingsmere, and })lacing it on the right as he turned 

 away towards Maud Hole. Here he was headed left- 

 handed in the direction of Healing, and yet again right- 

 handed through Wybers Wood, which sent him away to 

 Aylesby mill. Crossing the brook and Coates Bogs, hounds 

 then placed Laceby Cottagers' Plats and Bradley Wood on 

 the right, went on through Tennyson's Holt, and, with 

 Scartho on the left, towards Holton Cross. Headed near 

 the toll-bar, the fox turned left-handed nearly to Peeks ; 

 but continuing to bear to the left, he went back with 

 Scartho on the right, as if for Bradley Wood, till a short 

 turn to the right brought hounds to Bradley village, where 

 they ran from scent to view, and killed him in the dark. 

 It was a very hard day for hounds and horses. 



February 2nd was responsible for a really fine run — 

 perhaps one of the best that old Will Smith ever saw. 

 Hounds met that day at Swinhope House, and after some 

 indifferent sport, found a good fox in a patch of gorse 



* John o'GauntB. 



