26 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Season 



the biggest, was now doing as mucli work with his tail as his 

 legs, and scarce were the words out of his rider's mouth ere he 

 rose too soon at a stake-and-bound, and landed the worthy baronet 

 on his own I^incoln and Bennett. 



The fox had kept close along under the hedge that borders 

 the little brook leading down from the Scoles, and, with no 

 room to spread, half the pack were left without other part to 

 perform than to echo doubly the noisy testament of the leaders to 

 the burning scent. Could the sceptics who say that the high- 

 bred hounds of the grass countries run mute have heard the 

 rolling chorus, as the Quorn went at top speed close behind their 

 fox, surely they would never dare to give tongue on the same 

 subject again. 



Just before reaching the covert, Reynard took a sudden twist to 

 try the earths in the little spinney above ; but this hope failed 

 him, and he was fain to thread the nestling nook of Shoby Scoles. 

 Fox and hounds were in together ; Col. Kingscote, who had 

 galloped round the top, viewed him attempting to make his exit 

 and being headed back almost into the mouths of the hounds. 

 But he slipped past them, found refuge in a rabbit hole, and 

 saved his noble brush from hanging to the Prince's saddlebow. 

 *' Five-aud-twenty minutes as good as it could be," was the ver- 

 dict, approved by heaving flanks of steeds, and in many cases 

 breathless condition of riders. The cast round the hill to make 

 all safe, before the huntsman was assured of the " gone to 

 ground," gave the needful few minutes to those whom mishap 

 had detained on the way. The Prince was one of the first to 

 appear, his horse showing palpable signs of the energetic in- 

 fluence that had been brought to bear upon him. Even Col. 

 Jervoise's finished skill had been insufficient to turn one of Mr. 

 Westley Richards' s young ones into a practised hunter, though 

 he had wasted no time in making up lost ground. Capt. Boyce, 

 of course, was on the spot, for no man turns to hounds quicker 

 than he does ; and Capt. Norton, too, had done full justice to 

 his cloth. Another " soldier officer," Capt. King, had ridden 

 the run conscientiously on a draught from the late Atherstone 



