The Quorn. 71 



Leicester and Melton turnpike road — whereof tlie 

 story lias been told for a century tliat two Meltonians 

 of coacliing fame^ wagering to name the best fifteen 

 miles of coach road against each other, handed their 

 respective judgments on paper to a referee ; the 

 papers being opened, the one had written "from 

 Leicester to Melton/"' the other ''''from Melton to 

 Leicester/^ 



Once a year the Quorn meet at Melton Mowbray 

 itself — usually at Egerton Lodge, the hunting-box of 

 the Father of the Hunt, Lord Wilton. This, however, 

 is generally a sequence to the races of Croxton Park 

 or the Steeplechases of Burrough Hill, and an imme- 

 diate prelude to the break up of the season. The 

 nearest covert to Melton is Welby Fishponds, planted 

 by Lord Wilton for the Hunt — an excellent little 

 covert of gorse and osiers, and in ordinary times 

 fruitful of fine runs. For it is too small for foxes to 

 dwell j and beyond a couple of ploughed fields imme- 

 diately adjoining, there is a wide area of strong 

 scenting grass in every direction. In ordinary times, 

 we said advisedly — for look at those strings of red 

 dotted lines festooning the map on every side of 

 Melton ! What are these but railways in progress ? 

 Kail ways in being are hateful and sport- spoiling 

 enough ; but railways in progress are to a hunting 

 country as the Colorado beetle to the potato. To the 

 iron rails and the pufiing engines foxes get used. To 

 the indignity of galloping a mile round to a bridge 

 (where we were wont to strike a free bee line as we 

 chose) we can become blunted. But not only are 

 railways in course of construction bristling all day 



