176 THE BROCKLESBY HOUNDS. [1899 



line of country. They went away again towards the 

 Humber, turned towards Langmere, and then went on 

 nearly to Zincs ; but Smith dare not let his hounds go in, 

 for all the horses were done to a turn, and he was afraid 

 of changing foxes. It was a beautiful country we were 

 in all day, but it rode woefully deep, and was productive 

 of no little grief. The bitch pack worked magnificently. 



The best scent of the season undoubtedly was on 

 February 17th, but it was an unsatisfactory day for all 

 that. Meeting at Great Coates Station, hounds found 

 Sutton Thorns, for a wonder, without a tenant, and they 

 failed to get the Drake's Gorse fox away too. But a fox, 

 found in Cartwright's osiers, was burst up in fifteen 

 minutes, and then the fun began in earnest. Those who 

 know the country will see from the outset that hounds 

 must go a great pace in order to run from the Grimsby 

 Osiers to Koxton Wood in fifty minutes. Only part of 

 the pack got away, their huntsman with them, and they 

 went a tremendous bat over Little Coates and Great 

 Coates to Drake's Gorse. Leaving the covert close on the 

 right, the pack pressed on by Aylesby Mill along the 

 valley to Laceby, where the fox was headed from his 

 attempt to cross the Grimsby road, and turned back along 

 the valley to run past Pyewipe to Healing Gorse. Then 

 he set his mask for Riby ; but, turning right-handed, he 

 placed Healing Wells and Stallingborough Scrubbs on the 

 right as he made for Roxton Wood. But outside this 

 stronghold Smith drew rein, and with his diminutive 

 pack and field returned for reinforcements. On being 

 reunited hounds made an attack on Stallingborough 

 Scrubbs, and, finding at once, dashed quickly away in 

 hot pursuit of a straight-necked fox, who had his mask 

 set fair down the marshes. This delightful playground 

 always carries a scent, but on this occasion it must have 

 been red hot, for though there was a hard-riding field 

 out, including some good men and true from Yorkshire, 

 they could not see the way hounds went. When they 

 caught them they had checked at Killingholme. It was a 



