STEADINESS OF THE WARWICKSHIRE. 125 



from Northamptonshire, amongst them the renowned 

 Laundress and Ornament, bred by the late Lord 

 Sondes, they had several stallions and brood bitches 

 from the kennel of the late Duke of Beaufort, of the 

 Rubens and Nectar blood ; and with such materials in 

 the hands of so skilful and experienced a person, it 

 was no wonder that in a few years a pack was produced, 

 which might compete in steadiness, speed, and the 

 qualities of enduring, with any other in the world. 

 Of their extreme steadiness in chase, I think the 

 following anecdote will bear ample testimony. It was 

 in the December of the year 1829, when the pack 

 were under the manag:ement of that well-known and 

 excellent sportsman, Mr. Robert Fellowes, of Shotes- 

 ham, in Norfolk (but who then resided at Talton, near 

 Shipston-on-Stour), that the circumstance to which I 

 allude occurred. An afternoon fox was found at 

 Witnash-gorse, and it being a good scent, and the 

 hounds getting away close at his brush, a tremendous 

 burst over a severe country was the consequence ; 

 pointing at first for Oakley-wood, and then bending 

 to the left, the direction taken was over part of the 

 Chesterton enclosures and Harbury-field ; at this 

 point a hare jumped up in view of the whole pack, 

 who were at that time driving along with a breast high 

 scent, and continued to run for at least half a mile in 

 the exact direction which had been taken by the fox. 

 The anxiety and despair depicted in their huntsman's 

 face at this moment, may be better imagined than 

 described ; the pace was so great that to get at them 

 or attempt to stop them would have been impossible. 

 Turning to me, who happened to be at tliat moment 



