THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT 



" I shall hope, when I get back to Cairo, to hear that you 

 continue well, and have been having good sport. I had an 

 opportunity of giving a view holloa the other day ; a fine fox 

 was cantering along the bank of the Nile at sunset. 



" I remain, yours, etc., 



" Rutland." 



" Cairo, 



^^ January 2'i^rd. 



" I have on arriving here received your letter of Decem- 

 ber 28th, and I think you seem to have had good sport — a 

 good run from Sproxton Thorns on the 30th November ; but 

 you have omitted to tell me anything of the ist of December, 

 the 2nd, or the 4th, or where you were ; and you do not say 

 there was any frost. I like to compare your sport with what 

 I am doing here, and the weather ; for instance, on the 5th, 

 the day of your run from Bescaby Oaks, we had rain, the 

 only rain I have seen. 



" Again, the 8th you don't mention, or the nth, 12th, 14th, 

 15th, 16th, 1 8th, 22nd. 



" I am very grieved to hear of the death of poor Barbara 

 and Lady, and to think so great a scoundrel should exist. I 

 hope it may turn out to be M , for the sake of English- 

 men, that there are not two such to be found. I think Lord 

 Forester has done the best thing to offer ^50 reward ; it is an 

 indictable offence, and I hope the rascal may be found and 

 punished. 



" You seem to have had good sport, and wishing you a con- 

 tinuance when the frost gives, 



" I remain, yours, etc., 



" Rutland. 

 " The night before last 20° here ! " 



In December, 1864, the Duke was in Paris, and by a letter 

 which I quote he shows that his heart was with the Belvoir 

 and the hounds, and that he looked for a full account of the 

 sport from his huntsman. 



258 



