/6 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Seasoh 



point, and powerful enough to have beguiled many a good man 

 to destruction — as it will again to-day. 



As is too often the case, hounds did not cross it at once — 

 else would it have been charged in numberless places — ^but, 

 running along its brink, waited till they had their field huddled 

 up where the stream was widest and muddiest before turning 

 over it. Col. Forester, who has been cutting out the work 

 and pioneering the young ones throughout, is tlie first to 

 charge it where it seems most practicable, and gets over with 

 a splash and scramble. The next essayist adds a roll and 

 the loss of his hat to the Colonel's i)erformance, and effectually 

 blocks this passage for a time. Several attempts are made 

 in the same field, but each and all of them result in disas- 

 trous failure. Meanwhile the quickest had popped over the 

 side fence, driven straight down at the brook (Custance on 

 the Duke of Hamilton's old steeplechaser, the "Doctor," 

 leading one band), and found that here it was much more 

 negotiable. A ford was also hit off almost immediately, and 

 all went on in pursuit of Col. Forester's grey, who was now a 

 field ahead of tlie nearest. 



There is little more to tell. The hounds threw up just 

 below John o' Gaunt; and though their good bold fox had 

 obviously brought them all tliis way up wind with a view to 

 the refuge, from which he must have been driven but yesterday, 

 they could not mark him into the covert. Thus ended as 

 pleasant a thirty-five minutes as the season had produced — 

 fast enough for anyone, time and country considered. There 

 was dirty work for valets that night ; for falls seemed to have 

 been more the rule than the exception. Then home, with the 

 thrushes singing in the mild evening, as if spring had already 

 followed Christmas. 



The Pytchley inaugurated 1873 with a fast good run of fifty- 

 five minutes on the 1st of January, from Stanford HaU, of 

 which the following are the particulars. Found in the 

 Hookeiy, went away towards Walcote, and ran in the shape of 

 the letter S by Swinford to Shawell Wood. This could not 



