1872-73.] TWO GOOD DAYS WITH THE ATHERSTONE. 73 



smash the wide-set rail iii the corner, than get into the lane 

 whence there is no escape. Half-a-dozen fields, and already 

 the van is (in numbers) a weak one. Mr. Brooks is neither a 

 feather-weight nor a chicken, but he is sending the chesnut 

 along as if to wipe out the remembrance of the broken limb of 

 last 3'ear. Mr. Braithwaite has a still more permanent injury ; 

 but if he can hold his own over High Leicestershire, he surely 

 will here ; and he can keep his horse straight at an awkward 

 place, or pull him together over ridge-and-furrow, as well as if 

 he had an extra bridle arm. Mr. Hipwell has something black 

 and youthful under him ; but this is the kind of mount to 

 which he is most used, and he is making fast running on the 

 right, while the huntsman leads the left flank. The country 

 towards Cotesbach and Lutterworth is beautiful undulating 

 grass, and, for that reason possibly, seldom chosen by foxes. 

 Our present friend had not heart enough to take a bold plunge 

 into it, with the pursuing melody so nearly in his ears ; so, 

 swinging round in a semicircle that threw half his followers 

 off as if yielding to centrifugal force, he bent round for 

 Ullesthorpe. 



Jiloments of rare and fleeting liglit 



That show themselves, like grains of gold 



In the mine's refuse, few and Lright. 



For a quarter of an hour the}" spun along, over fences that 

 wanted jumping and turf that wanted condition, till they got 

 close up to their fox as they reached a little plantation above 

 Ullesthorpe village. Now they had to put their noses down 

 (as they can do with any pack in the Midlands), but after 

 hunting him a mile or two were holloaed on to another fox and 

 eventually gave up the game before reaching Bitteswell. 



