1894] WILL DALE. 155 



the Half-way house, leading hounds at a rare bat over the 

 plough, and past the Riby Bratlands and Mr. Henry 

 Dudding's house to the Barton street at Riby Cross- 

 roads. Pressing on past Aylesby as if bound for Healing, 

 hounds then turned to the right on Mr. McAulay's farm, 

 and crossing the Great Coates road, had a brief check 

 near Aylesby ]\[ill, the first so far. But they hit it oft' 

 themselves, and dashing away along the valley, ran by 

 way of Little Coates and Grimsb}' Field, past Tennyson's 

 Holt to Scartho. Still pressing on, they crossed the rail- 

 way and ran through the Weelsby coverts to Old Clee, 

 after which came some slow hunting brought about l)y 

 the fox being twice headed near Cleethorpes. Having been 

 turned left-handed nearly into Grimsby, we found nothing 

 but timber for our tired horses to negotiate, which they 

 did like the rattle of castanets, but without dire calamity. 

 Then came a left turn over the railway on to the sands 

 between Cleethorpes and Grimsby ; but scent died away 

 to nothing, and hounds were robbed of their l)eaten fox, 

 who, without doubt, was in safe hiding a very little 

 distance away. They had accomplished an eleven-mile 

 point in an hour and three-quarters, it being a fast run to 

 Ayles})y Mill, and they had traversed in all some seventeen 

 or eighteen miles. 



Speaking from memory, I think the following saw the 

 best of the run — the huntsman and his first whipper-in, 

 Fred Pittaway, and Messrs. J. M. Richardson, T. Kirkby, 

 F. Brooks, F. Hookham, T. Spencer, C. Wilson, T. 

 Sutclifte, and J. Brooks Wood. The last two gentlemen 

 had been " coffee-housing," but hearing a twang of the 

 horn, bolted for their horses, and by dint of hard riding 

 caught up the chase at Riby Cross-roads. Well do I 

 remember, too, how Mr. Hookham's old grey mare 

 negotiated the stile into the Humberstone road. " Ten 

 to one Hookham raps the stile," said the deputy- master, 

 when he and I had landed into the road ; but the old mare 

 picked herself over in most perfect manner, and he would 

 have lost his money. 



