92 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Season 



other side of the Fosse road. With this idea he swung round 

 Eoehoe, just touching its far corner, and then plunged on into 

 still deeper dirt. Over this the pack chased him at a great 

 pace ; and, oddly enough, had onl}^ to begin to hunt when 

 chance brought them across two solitary fields of grass, where 

 bullocks had followed the track of the fox. Then they poked 

 their way on till they came to the Curate, into which they at 

 length traced their fox. Half-an-hour was spent in his dis- 

 lodgement hence, when he broke away in the direction of Old 

 Dalby before bearing back towards Kinoulton. A much better 

 country now (chiefly grass), but such a hailstorm that made it 

 a marvel how hounds were able to pick out a line when horses 

 would not face the pelting storm. But they did hunt on, and 

 very prettily too ; till — to make a long story short — Tom Firr 

 got up to his fox at a farmyard two fields short of the covei't 

 from the place of finding, after an hour and a half's patient and 

 excellent work. It was some time, though, before Reynard's 

 whereabouts could be discovered. The huntsman first tried 

 all round the buildings, then held a consultation with the old 

 proprietress of the homestead, and finally made up liis mind 

 that the fox must be among the stacks. Hounds were 

 evidently of the same opinion ; for they tried hard to chmb the 

 steep sides of the straw-rick. Shouting for a fork, Firr 

 mounted to the top, helpmg some of the hounds up with him. 

 Two or three of them quickl}^ plunged into a hole after their 

 game ; and a stifled growling soon proclaimed that slaughter 

 was going on within. The rest of the pack were perched here 

 and there, like the grouping of many a painted hound-scene, as 

 they " hovered round to claim him for then- own " ; tiU the 

 huntsman completed his labour of disinterment, and they 

 descended to join in the Avony. 



