202 HISTORY OF THE YORK AND AINSTY HUNT. 



' amongst some brickyard rubbish. Jumping up in view, 

 ' hounds coursed him back into Hutton Thorns, through 

 ' the covert, up to Rufforth. Came to a check. Leaving 

 ' RufForth on our right, we turned back to the left, and 

 ' took the line of a fresh fox up to Rufforth and Hessay 

 ' line, over it, and Hutton Thorns drain, up to the small 

 ' plantation on Hessay and Marston road. Checked there. 

 ' Hit off the line, and leaving Marston village on our right, 

 • worked back into Hutton Thorns. Hounds worked round 

 ' the covert for some time, and at length got away and 

 ' pointed for Collier Hagg. Got on the line of a bob- 

 ' tailed fox, and ran him up to Askham Richard and 

 ' Rufforth lane ; crossed it and worked round the Askham 

 ' side of Grange Wood. Turned to the left, leaving Grange 

 ' Wood on the left, over Mr. .Smith's lane and the Knapton 

 ' and Rufforth road, and killed at the Moor End Farm at 

 ' the parish of Poppleton. The fox was so beat that he 

 ' laid in a turnip field, and hounds worked right up to him. 

 ' A really good hunt at times, but mostly slow hunting. 

 ' Time, two hours. The fox had a bob-tail. Drew Rufforth 

 ' and killed an unfortunate fox with a trap on his leg.' 



There was a succession of good sport, and then, as 

 frequently happens after a spell of good sport, there came 

 a long frost. After some preliminary warnings it came in 

 earnest on December 15th, and though at times the hopes 

 of hunting men were flattered, and there were signs of a 

 change, there was not even the chance of stealing a day 

 till January 25th, when Mr. Lycett Green took the bitches 

 out to exercise, and as he passed the Holly Carrs he ran 

 them through the covert, and after some very good work 

 they marked a fox to ground, and dug him out and killed 

 him. It was a lucky circumstance that the fo.x stuck to 

 the covert, as the country was quite unrideable, the land 

 being full of 'bone,' and, indeed, in some places the 

 frost had not gone. On the following Monday it was 

 impossible to hunt at .Stillington, but they went on to 

 Aldwark and had a fair day's sport, killing a fox in the 



