COLONEL FALR FAX'S MASTERSHLP. 167 



blood showing to great advantage ; and frequently in his 

 diary does the Colonel refer to the stoutness of the Belvoir 

 and Milton blood. It will be remembered that this same 

 season of 1877-78 was famous for some good runs in Sep- 

 tember, and many packs had runs during the early days of 

 the cub-huntinof which would not have disgraced Februarv. 

 The York and Ainsty were amongst these, and on the 20th 

 they had a famous gallop from the Holly Carrs, by Simpson's 

 Wood, Riccall, and over the common to Skipwith village, 

 of which no one saw anything except Mr. C. Molyneu.x and 

 the Master. They had another good day on the following 

 Tuesday (25th), killing a fox from Askham Bogs, where the 

 Colonel says he ' never saw so much water at any time of 

 the year,' and he relates that when drawing, hounds were 

 generally swimming. 



Early on in the season there was quite a chapter of 

 accidents, which, indeed, was not to be wondered at when 

 the state of the ground and the blindness of the fences are 

 taken into consideration ; and on October 9th, when they 

 met at Oxton Hall, we find that, amongst other casualties. 

 Sir William Milner had a very bad fall, and Mr. Bateman was 

 severely kicked. A note in the diary will be read with 

 interest: — -'Smith out; useful man; great assistance.' In 

 the twenty-eight days' cubbing they killed twelve brace and 

 ran four brace to ground. 



The regular season commenced on Thursday, November 

 1st, at Scriven Bar, where they had a fair day's sport. They 

 found a fox in Walkingham 'Warren, and killed him after a 

 lot of knocking about, and then they had a nice gallop from 

 Burton Wood to Bishop Monkton, and finally stopped hounds 

 at dark. The field all got to the wrong side of the beck in 

 this run, and though the Master got over all right on .Skelton, 

 others were not so successful, and there was a wet jacket 

 or two. 



