COLONEL FAIRFAX'S MASTERSHIP. 149 



The frost did not last long, but it was frosty off and on 

 till January Sth. Still hounds stole a day or two between the 

 frosty spells, though it was somewhat slippery work ridino-. 

 On Tuesday the 13th, they had a hard day, and for the 

 master an unlucky day, of which I give the history in his 

 own words : — 



'Tuesday, January 13th. Oxton. Found in covert, ran to 

 ' river, back through grounds towards Shire Oaks, and 

 ' stopped hounds crossing at Newton. Found near Steeton 

 ' Hall an outlying fox, ran hard through Steeton to Bolton 

 ' station, where we lost him. Pallethorpe, Steeton, blank. 

 ' Found in Colton, lost in Bog. Unlucky day. Bogged 

 ' Cardinal, cut Beatrice's head, knocked off by a bough 

 ' myself.' 



On the following Monday, however, they had a famous 

 hunting run, though it was something of a ring. Still 

 hounds covered a lot of ground, and if it was a ring, it 

 was a very wide one, and such a one as would take a good 

 horse all his- time to go through in a forward place :— 



' Monday, January 19th. Stillington. Never found till we got 

 ' to Hawk Hills. Found there a good fo.x., away towards 

 ' Creyke, to left to Easingwold Town end, back to Hawk 

 ' Hills House, on towards New Parks, through a gorsy 

 ' field, very fast to Sutton, on towards Suet Carr, over the 

 ' road to New Parks, where he was seen, on to Stillington 

 ' earths, where we killed him. Two hours, fifteen minutes. 

 ' Real good hunting run.' 



Thursday, February 19th, is a day which calls for notice, 

 not on account of any brilliant sport that took place, 

 though they had a sharp twenty minutes from Lylands, 

 marking their fox to ground at Marton. But on that day 

 they found at four p.m., at Thorpe Green, a mangy fox, 

 which beat them, an incident which is interesting when 

 viewed in connection with the recent experiences in the 

 York and Ainsty country. March came in well, and the 

 first week in that month was the best in Colonel Fairfax's 

 first season, so I give it in full from the diary : — 

 T 



