184 THE BROCKLESBY HOUNDS. [1900 



then gave it up. The pack ran on through the Usselby 

 Plantations, over the Market Rasen racecourse, and with 

 Sedge Cop away on the right, went to within a field of 

 Toft Newton. They then ran on, with Owmby and Nor- 

 manby on the right, and were stopped just behind the 

 Vicarage at Spridlington. Time from finding, one hour 

 and fifty minutes, very good except the last twenty 

 minutes. An eleven-mile point. Very few people were 

 out, as it is not a popular side of the country. Hounds 

 were well into the Burton country when they were stopped, 

 were twenty -five miles from home, and did not reach their 

 kennels till 8.40. 



On Wednesday, December oth, we find there was a 

 fine hunting run of three hours and thirty-five minutes 

 from Aylesby Mill, and a very hard day for hounds and 

 horses it was, as the country rode woefully deep. It 

 commenced from Drake's Gorse, and a rough outline of a 

 twisting run is as follows : round Great Coates and 

 along the valley to Laceby first, back to Healing, and 

 thence to Riby Park and Irby Dales. Hounds turned one 

 field from the covert and ran back to Aylesby ; and then 

 came the following points in succession : Healing, Hunger- 

 hills, Pdby Park, Irby village, Irby Dales, Swallow Vale, 

 Swallow Cross-roads, Swallow Vale, Bellows Pipe, Riby 

 Bratlands, Swallow Cross-roads, Swallow Vale again, the 

 Pillar Woods, and so to Riby Bratlands. The very tired 

 fox, no doubt, went straight through, though a horseman, 

 who was standing there, vowed he could not have missed 

 him, and so a good run was robbed of an orthodox finish. 

 Of course hounds changed several times. 



On Friday, December 7th, there was a capital hour 

 and a half from Pond Close Wood, hounds running from 

 scent to view and killing their fox handsomely ; and on 

 the 10th there was another of an hour and thirteen 

 minutes from Goxhill Oxmarsh to Killingholme Lighthouse, 

 where the fox went to ground in a drain. Hounds first 

 ran the Humber bank to New Holland, but, turning to 

 the left, with the Oxmarsh on the left, went nearly to the 



