100 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Season 



a wild withering storm, to which horses tui^ned their 

 backs — and when their fox had been viewed hard beat just 

 before them. A truly sporting run was this, between seven 

 and eight miles from point to point, which took about an hour 

 to do, and embraced everj' phase of hunting. The ground rode 

 deeper than it has done all this wet season — except perhaps 

 the day following — and horses could often scarcely extricate 

 their legs to jump even out of the grass. The blithest of them 

 all was, not unnaturall}-, the one who jumped so many fences 

 with only an empty saddle to carry, and galloped over the 

 hounds as successfully as the keenest of us. He declined 

 utterly to be caught by any of the [horsemen, but at last 

 yielded himself to a thrifty working man, having the financial 

 soul — and success — of a Lowe. "All right, my good man; 

 give him to me ! Here's lialf a crown for you ! Look sharp ! 

 I'll take him back ! " " Noa, oi taakes him back myself" — 

 gi'inning cunningly and greedily as he pictin-ed half — or it 

 might be a whole — sovereign from the panting friend behind. 

 " Thank you, thank you," gasped the latter, as he struggled 

 up. " Here's all the money I've got," and left the financier 

 gasping heartbroken at a sixpence. 



A GOOD FINISH TO THE WEEK. 



On Friday, March 7tli, the Quorn had a forty minutes, of 

 such a character that many people put it at the top of the runs 

 of the season. They first found a vixen in Gartree Hill, 

 where they left her in peace ; then went off to John o' Gaunt, 

 whence they did little but fill the Twyford Brook brimful with 

 men and horses. Most of the wet ones now took their dejoarture 

 homewards, as did many with a dry coat and a slackness thej*^ 

 afterwards rued, for from Cream Gorse dated the event of the 

 day. From here they started exactly as on the good bye-day 

 this year from Brooksby, but soon bore to the right, and went 



