HUNTING TOURS. 249 



quantity of blackthorn, which at this early 

 season punishes and lames them considerably; 

 nevertheless, they speedily compelled the fox 

 to break at the lower end, pointing for Burton 

 Lazars, a place noted in history as being the 

 first where leprosy made its appearance in 

 England, a disease happily now unknown. 

 Just as hounds were settling to the scent, only 

 three fields from the covert, a sheep foil was 

 in their line, but they carried the scent 

 through it in a masterly manner, and without 

 loss of time. They then set to running at a 

 good pace, and before they had gone more 

 than a mile, the unenviable condition of "a 

 gentleman in search of a horse " was verified 

 in more instances than one. Such was the 

 extreme blindness of the ditches that mishaps 

 were perfectly excusable in the most accom- 

 plished hunters. Leaving Burton on the 

 right, and bearing to the left, in the direction 

 of Kirby, before reaching that point the fox 

 headed short, occasioning a check, which, on 

 being recovered, he was hunted back, and dis- 

 covered to have taken refuge in a drain on 

 Mr. Copley's farm, close to Melton. On the 

 hounds returning to Garrety Hill another was 

 found, but there was evidently but little scent, 



m5 



