i84 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



thou«^ht it fun, I protest, for my post of observation was 

 only just so far outside the ring that I had to ride all the 

 while. If you happened to have shot off wider yet, you 

 may have been carried away towards Welford or borne 

 upwards to Cold Ashby (in neither case alone, nor un- 

 worthily chaperoned) ; or, on the other hand, you might 

 have stood upon the Hemplow, while we circled the rim 

 of the basin southward, and have met us with placid 

 superiority as we returned panting. But during that 

 quarter-hour the little Pytchley ladies had been putting 

 in some of the best work of the day. It was then three 

 o'clock, and they had been running almost incessantly 

 since 11.30. By the way they dashed after their fox- 

 along the Elkington hillsides, clustering as close as star- 

 lings in flight, showed the acme of venom and condition 

 — the two most essential attributes of a foxhound. Nor 

 had they done yet. Most of our horses had^ — certainly 

 every single one. But with a fox (I can scarcely suppose 

 the same) they broke forth again to Lord Spencer's covert, 

 and Goodall went onward with them once more over the 

 upper ground for Guilsborough, while your representative 

 trotted, perforce, homeward across the vale. To-day 

 rumour reaches me of their having run on to Coton, by 

 Guilsborough, and put their fox to ground in a rabbit 

 burrow, Goodall having to leave his horse out for the 

 night. Thus they must have been running two hours, 

 and covered an immense amount of ground, in a seven- 

 mile point. 



It will be seen that this Wednesday, commencing with 

 a trace of frost and a very determined sunshine, but im- 

 proving as the hours went by, was a busy day and a 

 crowded day, of a type that marks the season well set 

 and is likely to repeat itself almost weekly. Yet, I would 

 point out, if the huntsman was occasionally favoured with 

 an excess of information (by no means invariably unani- 

 mous), he seldom found himself hampered or crowded ; 

 and, as foxes were generally moving forward, the crowd 

 spread comfortably, and got but very little in its own way. 

 So, I repeat, all that varied concourse had its opportunity 

 during the day. And for this we may in a great measure 



