1832] THE FIRST WILL SMITH. 53 



and Will was very satisfied with the way the young hounds 

 had entered. They were out on thirty-one mornings, killing 

 thirty-six foxes and running twelve to ground. 



The cub-hunting of 1832 is the most fully reported 

 in the volume, though it was only a moderate scenting 

 autumn, and they killed thirty- one foxes in thirty days, 

 besides markins; four brace to around. Education com- 

 menced on August 14th, and concluded on October 13th. 

 This day also saw Will Smith the second installed as 

 second horseman to his father. 



On September 12th Smith went to Burton to see Sir 

 Kichard Sutton's hounds, stopped the night, and hunted 

 with the bitch pack on the morrow. Kelsey New Covert, 

 given by Sir Henry Nelthorpe and Mr. Wright, of 

 Brattleby, was drawn for the first time on Octol)er 8th. 

 Smith started the regular season with forty couples of old 

 hounds and seventeen and a half couples of youngsters. 



There are only two or three entries concerning 1833, 

 when cub-hunting began, on September 2nd, at Roxton 

 Wood. 



I must now cast back a bit, and take up the thread of 

 regular hunting on January 21st, 1832, when a good 

 hunting day was brought ofi" from Swallow Cross Roads, 

 an hour and thirty-five minutes from Swallow Vale being 

 the best thing of the day. 



On February 1st hounds met at Scotter Thorpe and 

 had a good two hours' hunt, forty minutes of which from 

 the Gorse to Warton Wood was very fast. 



But the best run of the season was from Wybers 

 Wood, on February 4th, " the prettiest run of the year 

 and the worst finish," as the huntsman says of it. 



The fox went away at once towards Great Coates, but 

 turning right-handed through the Little Coates Decoy, he 

 recrossed the beck and ran with it on his left to Laceby. 

 With the village on the left, he then pressed on to 

 Aylesby, and turned right-handed back through Maud 

 Hole to Great Coates, where hounds probably changed, 

 for they had three foxes in front of them, and subsequent 



