1870—71.] THE PRINCE OF WALES AT MELTON. 23 



crashed down the open slope, and gave the signal for a start. 

 Like the torrent from an opened floodgate came the keen horse- 

 men in pursuit. The first fence was a stake-and-bound, with a 

 drop beyond, but this was taken almost without a pull. The 

 perils of an anthill-covered field never diminished the pace, nor 

 did the thick bullfinch taken sideways to the left. With a scent 

 that seemed to madden them, the hounds breasted the steep hill 

 in front. " Oh, what an accursed gate ! " in a fence that might 

 defy the charge of an elephant. " Lift up the latch, sir, while 

 I push ! lift it, for Heaven's sake, lift it ! " Half a second seems 

 an hour as the pack bound over the crest ; but never was gate 

 swung quicker. Lord Calthorpe strides up the hill on a grand 

 bay horse, that a slack rein would scarce stop from winning the 

 Liverpool ; Mr. Knollys sits back and pounds away alongside, 

 determined to see all he can on his one mount with the Quorn 

 (and for many a year will his dreams of glory contain a picture 

 of Sir Frederick's hog-maned chestnut) ; Lord Grey de Wilton 

 and Captain Coventry steal quietly along a length or two behind, 

 with Captain Johnstone settling down as if he had been for weeks 

 in hard training for the event. Now they were pointing straight 

 for Rearsby, as if the Wreake and its repellant stream were 

 meant ; but so good a fox had no intention of dealing unfairly 

 by his field, and, with a nobler purpose, fixed upon such a line 

 as raised his followers to the seventh heaven (or in individual 

 cases lowered them to the snow). The village of Thrussington 

 bothered him for a moment, and he was forced to turn along the 

 road for a few hundred yards before striking off again for his 

 point. The body of the pack were over it in a second, with Mr. 

 Henry Chaplin jumping into the road at their heels. Their 

 noses were down immediately) and as they wavered here and 

 there Macbride took hold of them for a cast forward ; but mean- 

 while two couple had turned under the hedge, never leaving the 

 line ; when fairly satisfied with themselves caught the ear of 

 Col. Kingscote, who was riding on the left ; and a holloa brought 

 up the huntsman and their comrades, with the loss of no more 

 time than served to make it a five-and-twenty minutes burst 



