1870-71.] LAST QUORN MONDAY, 1871. 33 



grave Bottom — wliicli Capt. Smith and someone else went in 

 and out of, aiid where the breaking through of a faggot bridge, 

 after the master and three or more had crossed, put a vast 

 number out of the hunt — the first-named viewed him over the 

 Lowesby Eoad, not fifty yards before the pack. Struggling in 

 the teeth of the blast, he swung round by the village of Barsby, 

 and strained every nerve to regain the shelter of his starting 

 point. For a mile he kept alongside the Barsby Bottom, 

 another chasm that bears a name of terror, the fences comins: 

 thick and strong, as a Stilton-making district demands. As far 

 back as the memory of the oldest Quornite could carry him, 

 the Barsby Bottom has called for respect and awe ; but hands 

 down and a stout heart can grapple with many fancied impossi- 

 bilities, and the same leader skimmed over it in his stride, 

 brought half-a-dozen followers with him, but left half-a-dozen 

 others (let their names be sacred !) to sound its depths. Without 

 a check or pause of any sort, they breasted the high ground, 

 passed the Queniboro' Spinney, and the pack dived into Barkby 

 Gorse close at their fox's brush. A sheej:) dog in the covert led 

 the hounds through into the wood, the fox lay down somewhere 

 in the gorse, and hounds and huntsmen were cheated of their 

 prey, though another hour was devoted to searching the thicket. 

 Of the superb nature of the burst it is impossible to say too 

 much. Computations of time vary up to five-and-thirty 

 minutes, but it is incredible that, at the unceasing, unhesitating 

 pace hounds ran, a fox could have lived or horses could have 

 galloped for more than five-and-twenty. They went so fast 

 that an indifferent start or a single false turn extinguished any 

 man's chance at once. It is no flattery to repeat that Capt. 

 Smith cut out nearly all the work, ably seconded (till the 

 voracious gulf of Barsby was reached) by the hard delegate 

 from Cheltenham, while INIacbride was all through just where 

 he should be, and the master lent his ruling presence to the 

 very few who lived with the hounds from beginning to end. 



Thus it will be seen how prominent a part Cossington Gorse 

 played in the season 1870 — 71. 



