THE RULE OF Mr. GEORGE LANE FOX. 119 



and seventeen days, and killed fifty-one and a half brace 

 of foxes ; markino- twenty and a half brace to around. 



1872-73. If Kingsbury had the luck to fall in with a 

 good season for his opening one as huntsman, his second 

 season was still better, and such sport is seldom equalled as 

 took place in the season which commenced by knocking the 

 cubs about at Blackfen, in the early morning of the 6th of 

 September. Indeed, good run followed good run so closely 

 that there is the greatest difficulty in making a selection, 

 and did space permit, I should feel inclined to give nearly 

 the whole of the season. Sport was excellent ; hounds 

 were well blooded in the early days of the season ; and as 

 early as the 4th of October there was sport which was 

 worthy of December and January. 



' October 4th. Micklefield. Found in Castle Hill, old fox. 

 ' Found in Ledsham covert, ran nicely for a time round the 

 'plantations, and lost. Found in Newfield, away to the 

 ' Ferrybridge road, back past Ledsham vicarage, straight 

 'to Sheldon Hill and Kippax Park wall. Here the fox 

 ' turned back to Ledstone village and down to the river, ran 

 'to the right along- the Ings to Castleford turnpike-gate, 

 'turned him, chased him, and killed. Fifty-five minutes: 

 ' a capital run. Dog pack.' 



A wonderful day, indeed, so early in the season, and the 

 curious thing is that these good days continued. It was 

 not a case of an isolated good scenting day, for the runs 

 in October read like the middle of the season. Here is 

 one more of them : — 



'October 26th. Riffa. Found plenty of cubs. Ran very hard 

 ' in covert for one hour. Tried upon foiled ground for 

 ' another hour, but could not catch one. Found a fox in 

 'a willow-bed in Weeton bottoms, ran over Wescoe Hill 

 'to Swindon Wood, hard round the wood three times, away 

 ' into the Punch Bowl, up the hill, leaving Kirkby Overblow 

 'on the left, to the Cocked Hat Whin, gave him a turn in 



