168 THE BROCKLESBY HOUNDS. [1897 



at the brook at Laceby Paddocks, the fox, without doubt, 

 coming to grief in its rushing waters, as hounds could do 

 nothing further with him. They ran hard right up to 

 the finish, and it was a capital hunt, full of incident and 

 delightful hound-work set by a very twisting fox. 



There was a hard day from Chase Hill on January 20th, 

 and Smith records the fact that he never remembered the 

 country riding so deep, but that he was splendidly carried 

 by Barbette. 



One of the hardest days in Smith's recollection was 

 February 20th, from Barnoldby Cross-roads, hounds begin- 

 ning at Bradley Wood, and running hard all day, lost a 

 beaten fox through the second whipper-in not telling 

 Smith that he had viewed him away, thus wasting a lot 

 of time which was never recovered. The season finished 

 on April 13th, with a meet at Newsham Lodge, a twenty 

 minutes' race from Langmere Furze to ground at Thornton 

 College being an enjoyable finale. 



Hounds were out sixty-nine days, killing thirty-six and 

 a half brace of foxes and marking eighteen brace to 

 ground. 



Cub-hunting in 1897 began on August 30th in Cottagers' 

 Dale, a brace coming to hand before we returned home to 

 l^reakfast. Stephen Dickins and Jack Bell whipped-in to 

 Smith this season, the first coming from the Duke of 

 Sutherland's and the second from the Holderness. There 

 was a satisfactory cubbing, although scent was generally 

 moderate, and at times very bad indeed, and hounds 

 accounted for thirty-one foxes in twenty-one days, besides 

 running three brace to ground. The young entry proved 

 to be all workers, with the exception of Stoutness, and the 

 old hounds hunted better for their huntsman than they 

 had done durinoj his first season. 



The opening meet, on November 3rd, was at Brocklesby 

 Hall ; but although a leash of foxes were killed, sport was 

 not of a particularly high order. 



The first really good day was on November 24th, from 

 a meet at Welbeck Hill. Hounds went on to Bradley 



