40 THE CEEAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Season 



ceived before the hounds were in the covert ; but a second kept 

 himself quiet till the master began to look anxious about a find. 

 But, once on foot, he delicately declined to cross-examine the 

 ex-Craven hounds,* as to their capabilities in covert, and broke 

 away for Tilton. He avoided the dreaded Marfield bottom just 

 long enough to inveigle ever3-bod3' out of reach of the bridge, 

 then crossed it where it could not be jumped, and made for 

 Mr. Tailby's woodlands (where soon " The Barleythorpe " will 

 be holding their jaunts and jollities). Nobody was with the 

 hounds for some fields ; and the first to them were the earliest 

 driblets through a narrow gap in a bullfinch which merciless!}' 

 pent up the huge impatient crowd. The crush was rendered 

 still more horrible b}' the behaviour of an evil-dispositioned 

 grey, which fought its way through all earlier comers by rising 

 on its hind legs and striking out with a quickness worthy of 

 Jimmy 8haw. On emerging through the hole in the order in 

 which chance — or, better still, a kicker — enabled one to squeeze 

 (N.B. On these occasions, if you have not a kicker, it is perhaps 

 advisable to stretch out your hand behind, as such a course 

 ma}' often secure you more room), there were two of the most 

 choking ploughs — through and up which to struggle — that were 

 ever tmiied over by steam. The morning was misty and warm, 

 the drops hung on every twig, and the hacks were in a lather 

 before they reached the meet. But the fog that had hung 

 over Skeffington all morning was now blown northwards, and 

 covered the Tilton Hills lilve a blanket. Horses could scarcely 

 gasp in it after wading through the deep loam ; by the time 

 the top of the liill was reached one and all were as distressed 

 as if they had done a four- mile steeplechase, and each man felt 

 serious alarm about the wind of his steed, till he found that his 

 neighbour's was in a similar plight. Just before reaching the 

 woods, hounds threw up for a minute or two, and allowed 

 the huntsmen and the few who liad found their way through 



* Mr. Coupland's new pack. 



