THE SQUIRE OF ASWARBY 



The runs mentioned in the following must have taken place 

 in the season 1856-57. Although the first letter is not 

 dated, it must have been before November 27th, as from that 

 date to December 6th hounds were stopped by frost. 



VI 1 



"Belvoir Kennels, 



'■'•Monday Morning, 

 "Honoured Sir, — [n.d.] 



" I am very sorry I did not get your letter early enough 

 yesterday to answer it by return of post. 



" Our run from Sproxton Thorns was really very first rate, 

 just what you would have enjoyed, hounds going out of the 

 field as horses were going in, notwithstanding a large field 

 bestrided with fast men. I do think myself if Mr. Thursby 

 had been there he would have been alone in his glory : it's 

 really wonderful to see a body of old fox-hunters, when 

 hounds start off with their heads up and sterns down, telling 

 them over the very first field that there's no time to lose 

 to see them following one another over a weak place to avoid 

 a rasper, and thereby losing that portion of precious time 

 which is gone for ever, thus verifying the old proverb that 

 time and fox-hounds wait for no man. My Lord would 

 tell you how unpolite the pack was in eating their fox be- 

 fore I could get near them, the only piece left being his 

 nose. We had a very hard woodland day on Friday, stop- 

 ping the hounds in Brown Wood between six and seven 

 o'clock. Such a good day's sport, killing a fox in Ponton 

 Park Wood in twenty-five minutes. Second we found in 

 Boothby Great Wood, where, after two or three rings, we 

 raced him over to Ponton Park and killed him ; third from 

 Harlaxton, which gave us an hour's most beautiful hunting, 

 and we stopped them at the railroad near Stoke Park Wood. 



" My Lord would tell you of our very good day from 

 Wiverton last Wednesday, killing at Plumtree, near Not- 

 tingham. 



* The numbers refer to the order of the correspondence as placed in 

 my hands. 



193 O 



