1870-71.] A SWIM OVER THE WREAKE. 11 



At length Reynard was enabled to make his original line ; 

 so, crossing the Fosse Road, he threw off his clogs, and took 

 to the clean carpet of turf towards Ragdale. Leaving the Hall 

 well on the left, he went straight for Hoby, over the green 

 pastures that seemed laid down for a burst ; but, though 

 hounds hunted nicely all the way, they could scarcely make a 

 gallop of it, and there was plenty of time to choose the few 

 weak places that presented themselves, over a line that under 

 other circumstances would be most difficult to steer. His 

 point was a drain below the rector's garden, and nearing 

 this the pace freshened. Finding it closed against him, he 

 took a ticket for Brooksby station, but, deciding against the 

 claims of the Midland, he turned through the miller's spinney, 

 and held for a mile along the banks of the Wreake. Generally 

 " a quiet and placid stream," the far famed river now " rushed 

 like a torrent to the sea," and he forebore to trust himself to 

 its tide till after passing Thrussingtou Mill. A moment's 

 pause on the brink, and seventeen couple of spotted heads were 

 battling across the twenty j-ards of water on his track. One 

 gentleman in black followed suit, and shook himself gratefully 

 as, with the assistance of the frightened miller, he emerged in 

 safety. "Without entering Bleakmoor, the hounds ran alongside 

 the railway for a field, crossed the line, and, entering on the 

 sound inclosures beyond, ran well over the hill, across the 

 Leicester and Melton turnpike, to the left of Rearsby Village. 

 Two fields further came the poor allotments, the benevolent 

 founders of which could never have intended that a wretched 

 little urchin should act as a scarecrow to spoil the finish of a 

 good run. A check of two or three minutes, with no one 

 to take hold of the hounds, put the fox thi'ee fields ahead 

 instead of one. At Underwood's Lodge, another brace of 

 foxes were in front of the pack, and to make confusion 

 worse confounded, a young hound called attention to the 

 line of a hare, and they were at fault again. At this point 

 Thrussington Bridge let us all up ; the huntsman got a 

 view of the beaten fox just ahead, but with only five hounds 



