THE DUKE AS MASTER 



" 8, Chesterfield Street, Mayfair. 

 " Cooper, — 



" We went to Willey this day week, and came back to 

 London on Saturday. Lord Forester seems to be pretty 

 much as usual. He enjoys his shooting and goes out most 

 days, although to the great disadvantage of those who can 

 walk. It is a sad thing to see a man who was once so active 

 cut down in the manner he is." 



Then again, a year later. Sir Thomas tells of a run with 

 the Cottesmore, and he is again anxious about the foxes. 



" AswARBY Park, 

 "Cooper, — "■February 14//?, 1869. 



" I write a few lines to inform you of what occurred 

 yesterday with Lord Kesteven's hounds at Irnham. First 

 of all they found the fox in the long part of Irnham Old 

 Park Wood. He ran away across the grass-field into Osgod- 

 by Coppice ; he then ran straight through it, and away for 

 kigoldsby Wood, which he went straight through, and mid- 

 way between Ingoldsby Wood and Boothby Little Wood 

 the scent vanished in toto. It really looked as though the 

 fox had carried a spade with him, dug his own grave, and 

 made it deep enough for his pursuers to lose all trace of 

 him. West then took his hounds on the down wind side 

 of Ingoldsby Wood ; they hit off a scent of some animal 

 or another, which they could not pursue farther than In- 

 goldsby Village. They then went back to the farther end 

 of Irnham Old Park, where they found again immediately 

 and ran their fox into Bitchfield Far Wood and lost him. 

 One of the whips, who had lost a shoe and was just returning 

 from having it put on, met a fox going in the direction of 

 Ingoldsby Wood. West took the hounds to the place the 

 whip had last seen him, but they could do no good. They 

 then went to Corby Pasture, where they found immediately 

 and ran up wind to Bitchneaves Wood. Here the fox 

 stopped for them, and I left them going across that miserably 

 scenting ground to Croke Hills. Now what I want to know 

 is this : whether, after the routing they gave the Irnham 



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