50 



THE BEST OF THE FUN 



wishes to Sir Rainald, who gave us this treat ! May 

 many another Christmas see him hale and hearty among 

 us ! 



The first-horses were fully cooked 



In Sunshine and Fog with the Warwickshire 



Thursday saw us on much of the same ground as did 

 the Monday and Saturday previous — the Shuckburgh 

 domain, to wit. Lord Willoughby de Broke arrived out 

 of the fog of the lower ground to find the highlands of 

 the Daventry district sparkling in gayest sunshine. A 

 sharp hoar-frost had pervaded everywhere ; but only 

 in the Warwickshire Vale was it thus held down, by a 

 cold mist that brought the lowlanders to covert like so 

 many Fathers Christmas, the degree of similarity varying 

 with their garb and the amount of icicled hair upon their 

 faces. 



In spite of the flying visit of the Grafton on Monday, 

 hounds soon owned to a fox in Shuckburgh Wood and 

 drove him forth immediately into the valley towards 

 Catesby. With the ground still chilly from frost, scent 

 was anything but brilliant during the next hour. Thus 

 it would be but iteration (you know the epithet, but we 

 don't say it in print) to take you field for field over thisj 

 delightful area. Hounds were busy for some time about 



