446 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



I jot down a few names that recur to me at the 

 moment of writing, viz., in addition to the Master, Mr., 

 Mrs., and Miss Dawkins, Mr. and Miss Czarnikov, Mr. and 

 Mrs. E. Kennard, Mr. and Mrs. E. Cazenove, Rev. Cecil 

 and Miss Legard, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Cunard, Mrs. and 

 Misses Byass, Misses Bevan, Mr. and Miss D. Fenwick, 

 Mr. and Miss Lloyd, Mrs. Simson, Mrs. S. Holland, Miss 

 Banbury, Miss Liebhardt, Mrs. Drake, Captains Soames, 



Pender, Faber, Wheeler, Rev. Devereux, Mr. Fernie 



and his huntsman. Count Larische and his huntsman 

 (Peck), Messrs. Mills (3), Muntz (i), Foster, T. Jameson, 

 Bishop, Craig, Broom, Pownall, Whateley, Phipps, 

 Wartnaby, F. Underwood, Drage (2), Oldacre, Cowley, 

 Harris, and I know not how many more ; besides two 

 more visitors from Melton, Messrs. Heneage and De 

 Winton, who, like Count Larische, preferred to ride a hunt 

 to looking on at the Army Point-to-Point, and were, I 

 think, rewarded. 



At about 12.40 we stood in the lane, up-wind and 

 below Alford Thorns, a small hillside wood just south of 

 Lubenham and of the border-line with Mr. Fernie. And 

 in this position of course we could neither see nor hear 

 anything, though on the other hand we were safely 

 blocking the way against the rugged Hothorpe Hills that 

 flanked our left. By Goodall's riding through the covert 

 to us, with the well-known chuckle upon his lips, that as 

 surely denotes a find as a hen's cackle proclaims an eg^, 

 we became aware that a fox was afoot, and by natural 

 instinct we moved slowly down-wind towards the head of 

 the covert. How we arrived at the necessity for galloping, 

 I cannot tell. Somebody, I suppose, had scented it, and 

 next moment we were dashing helter-skelter adown the 

 slope in the direction of Lubenham. John's cap was to 

 be seen bobbing ahead over the quick-recurring fences ; 

 at his heels Mr. Heneage's grey was plainly discernible, 

 while Mr. Craig and two of our heavy weights came 

 thundering after. These two first, flying, miles were not 

 the least pleasant morsel of a thorough sterling hunt. 



Directly our fox had crossed the road to the left of 

 Farndon village, he was turned by man and dog, driven 



