36 HISTORY OF THE YORK AND AINSTY HUNT 



Pilmoor, but it Is by no means a bad country now, 

 though it is necessary to look sharp, as it is not the 

 best place in the hunt to get away from. 



'Nimrod' now went farther north, and he did not pay 

 another visit to the York and Ainsty country till 

 March :— 



'Thursday, 15th. Met York and Ainsty at Nun Appleton 

 ' village, ten miles from York. We hunted a fox that 

 ' had stolen away from one of Sir William Milner's 

 ' coverts for some distance, but owing to a false holloa, 

 ' and two or three other awkward circumstances, we 

 ' could do nothing with him. Found again on Askham 

 ' Bogs, but the day was stormy and we had not any 

 ' scent.' , There was a large field out, several of whom 

 ' belonged to Lord Harewood's hunt.' 



'Nimrod 'was certainly very unhappy in his experiences 

 with the York and Ainsty in the field, but even the 

 short accounts he has to give, relating as they do to 

 moderate sport, make one wish all the more that his 

 predecessor had not been quite such a 'superior person,' 

 and had told us of some of those o;ood things which 

 seemed to fall to his lot so plentifully. 



'Nimrod's' visit was productive of an incident which 

 probably inspired one of the most amusing passages in 

 ' Handley Cross.' A gentleman rode up to Naylor, the 

 huntsman, and said, ' Now Naylor, you must mind what 

 you are at to-day: 'Nimrod' will be out, and will have 

 you in black and white.' ' Lord bless you, sir,' was the 

 huntsman's reply, 'I have forgotten more than 'Nimrod' 

 will ever know.' 



It is disappointing that there is not more forthcoming 

 about the history of the hunt during Mr. Lloyd's master- 

 ship, and of the earlier years of his rule nothing much 

 is known. But even thus early in the annals of the 

 hunt there is a tragic incident to relate. On November 



