1841] THE PIRST WILL SMITH. 75 



tour of the Brocklesby country, purchasing horses about 

 the same time. 



A moderate season, much spoilt by frost, came to an 

 end on April 2nd, during which only fifty-five foxes came 

 to hand, though twenty-three were run to ground. 



Of the following season's cub-hunting, which began on 

 September 9th, due to a late harvest, Smith speaks 

 favourably, the thirteen and a half couple of youngsters 

 entering well, and killing twenty-six foxes before the 

 curtain went up on October 18th, which seems early for 

 an opening day. From October 25th till November 15th 

 the huntsman was confined to the house with jaundice, 

 the doctor giving him " strong medicine," as he quaintly 

 put it. 



There was a very hard day on December 17th, hounds 

 running continuously for four and a half hours, and 

 having eventually to be stopped when it was too dark to 

 proceed, with all the horses quite done up as well. 

 Hounds found in Kingerby Wood and ran over Kirkby, 

 Osgerby, Usselby, and Middle Rasen, two or three times, 

 before going to Walesby, Stainton, Thoresway, and Roth- 

 well, and so back over Stainton to Otby. It was freezing 

 hard during the latter part of the run, and it got very bad 

 for the hounds' feet. Of course they changed foxes 

 several times, certainly at Sedge Cop and in the Stainton 

 Plantation, and hounds] had a brace in front of them at 

 Rothwell. They covered a lot of country during the 

 day. 



The diary comes to an abrupt ending — though not 

 more than one-third filled — on February 2nd, 1842, when 

 a good day's sport from Bradley Wood is recorded. 

 Hounds first went away to Little Coates, then right-handed 

 to Grimsby Field, where the fox was headed, and turned 

 leftover Coates Bogs, by Little Coates, to Wybers Bridge. 

 Then, from Aylesby hounds turned short to the right by 

 Maud Hole, Healing Gorse, and the village, went on through 

 Riby Slingsmere to Aylesby, and thence back to Bradley 

 Wood. They then hunted him steadily through the wood 



