120 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Season 



live through. Hunting better and quicker over ever}' fiekl, 

 hounds moved merrily and continuously on over the superb 

 country between Tw^-ford and Loseby, offering a study of 

 beautiful hunting that forced into each man an interest as if he 

 himself were carrying the horn. Thus on over the Marfield 

 Brook — a fau' clean jump that had no terrors for Mrs. 

 Featherstonhaugh on her steeplechasing black. Indeed, she 

 and Miss Hartopp maintained their pride of place to the very 

 end of this severe run. 



John o' Gaunt was now imminent in front; but apparently 

 their fox had lost himself, and, turning oft' again within a field 

 or two of it, bore down upon the Twyford Brook, at the very 

 spot where so man}' exciting scenes had been enacted in the 

 oft-repeated bursts from John o' Gaunt to Burrough — and 

 exactly where such sore grief was destined to take place on the 

 following Cottesmore Tuesday. To-day there were but few acci- 

 dents in surmounting the difficulty — perhaps because a large 

 proportion of the field had slightly overshot the mark, and 

 found themselves opposite a haj)py ford. Be this as it may, 

 there were numbers yet to ride with the hounds as they passed 

 Burrough village (leaving it just to the right), and dipped with 

 increasing speed on to the steeplechase course, which, as usual, 

 was crossed at right racing pace. Up the hillside opposite the 

 Stand — men now dropping behind to lead up the ascent, and 

 eager at their fences, not for first turn, but last, and heartily 

 thankful as one tired pair of hind legs after another trod down 

 the obstructing binders. And so they struggled on, not half a 

 dozen having power to join the chase as it rounded Great 

 Dalby village (half-way to Gartree Hill), and moved on 

 towards Melton. The horses of huntsman and whip were still 

 equal to their fences ; Lord Grey de Wilton's, Capt. Boyce's, 

 Col. Forester's, and Caj)t. Smith's seemed almost fresh as ever, 

 though the last two had been ridden all day ! But the now 

 helpless majority were glad enough to stand on Dalby Hill and 

 watch the hounds come round to the Melton-road, there to join 

 them again, and make the best of gates and gaps to learn the 



