THE COTTESMORE. 125 



would be " far from the madding crowd " in more ways than 

 one ; and this freedom is to be found, to a very great extent, in the 

 Cottesmore country. There is no large to^v^l within its boun- 

 daries, save and except Stamford, which is quite on one side, 

 to send forth its holiday-seekers, as Leicester did on a Friday 

 for the Quorn, until the place of meeting was perforce withheld 

 from all but subscribers, as, although they meet at Stapleford 

 Park, which is within a very short distance of Melton, that me- 

 tropolis of the chase is very select as to the quality of its visitors, 

 and, although there may at times be a crowd of well-mounted men 

 and women at the fixture, the rush of the great unwashed there- 

 to is for the most part avoided. True it is that they at times 

 get the cream of the Duke's, the Quorn, the Tailbyites, and the 

 Pytchley men to meet in friendly rivalry, and over-ride hounds 

 for each other's instruction and edification, as far as the scent 

 and the nature of the country and fences will allow ; but that is 

 a thing that can be borne ; and by the time the descendants of 

 Lord Kesteven's big ones have been running ten minutes, there 

 is generally elbow-room if there is anything of a scent. I have, 

 in my time, hunted a good bit in the Cottesmore country, and 

 am fain to say that, on the whole, there are few I like better. 

 It has a good deal of plough on the eastern side, but it is 

 plough that one does not mind riding over, and the fences are 

 varied a little by coming across an occasional stone wall, which 

 makes a change and adds a zest to the fun. The fields here are 

 large, and the fences by no means desperate, so that a man well 

 mounted may get along and enjoy himself. Then, as you work 

 westwards, there is some of the finest country in the world. 

 And he who has ever seen hounds go well away from Eanks- 

 borough Gorse, got a good start, and stayed with them until they 

 pulled him fairly down in the open, is not likely soon to forget it. 

 They have big woods, I know — those of Witham for instance — 

 where you may perchance pass a longer time than is always 

 agreeable; but let me ask those of my readers who may be 

 inclined to turn their back upon them, to pause a moment, and 



