32 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



below the hill had ample time to join in, as they crossed 

 the canal, and again almost touched it on the northern 

 border of Hemplow's precincts. "A good run started 

 much like this, and from here, only two years ago," I 

 found myself muttering. (You remember the gallop in the 

 snow to Kilworth and Bosworth, do you not ?) Was there 

 something prophetic in the memory of that moment ? 



Hounds now spun downhill over the Stanford pastures, 

 ant-hilly and rough some of them, but capital scenting- 

 ground the whole. Two or three easy fences took us to the 

 railway, and then through the length of one field hounds, 

 bullocks, and horsemen seemed all to jostle one another 

 in full cry. From Yelvertoft (or Stanford Hall) station 

 their fox suddenly bore away again ; and the little ladies 

 streamed leftward up the same sort of grazing-grounds 

 till they reached the Coton corner of the estate, where 

 stands a stone monument setting out its purpose of exist- 

 ence and the number of miles that it is from other points 

 of the universe. So at least we knew where we were ; 

 till on crossing the river we suddenly found that an ox- 

 fence with a bank (a very unusual complication in this 

 simple country) cut us off from hounds, and we began to 

 wonder what would become of us. But it so happens 

 that in the first whip of the Pytchley not only has Goodall 

 a very adequate assistant, but we have also. If he cannot 

 expound a difficulty, we generally give it up. So he 

 showed us how to " go-on-and-off-clever," and we fol- 

 lowed him meekly, one and all, at the very spot he had 

 pointed out. We were not going to risk it elsewhere. 

 And again he found the only timbered corner of an other- 

 wise entirely wired field. And that led to a bridge across 

 the Coton brook — the very field, I remember, where I 

 took my very first ducking in my very first pair of cord 

 breeches. (I was the frog endeavouring to reach the 

 measurement of such bulls as Jem Mason, Mr. Villiers, 

 &c. So it wasn't yesterday.) Now we felt tolerably 

 secure, could trust to our own legs, and made great use 

 of them as we pounded uphill, across two firm pastures, 

 and through two open gates. Then, as the little crowd 

 mustered a moment at a double gateway, one was near 



