1876—77.] FIRST FRUITS OF 187G. 171 



liim. He lias still a coui^le of miles to the good ; but in a few 

 minutes his pursuers have crossed the valle}^ Now the sheep 

 have foiled the line, and cause another short stoppage ; but 

 soon a soft furrow ends the difficulty. An ugly drop fence of 

 double dimensions, with the choice of a slippery stile ; a 

 couple of open gates ; three inclosures of ridge and furrow — 

 then, with nothing but Owston Wood and its wild neighbour- 

 hood in front, we are suddenly brought to a standstill at a 

 well-used drain between the villages of Burrough and Twyford. 

 One hour and five minutes, ver}^ straight, not fast, but over a 

 beautiful country, sum up this run. That our fox was com- 

 pletely beaten was soon proved, for of course the blacksmith 

 hard-by had a terrier of mettle (was there ever a blacksmith 

 who hadn't?). " Old Thos," as he termed him, tackled his 

 quarry at once, and bundled him out to run for his life, with a 

 hundred yards start of a trul}'^ racing pack. But this good 

 bold fox was too stiff and tired to save his brush ; and, though 

 he had the fairest of chances for his life, they coursed him to 

 death in a couple of fields. 



A blinding snowstorm marked the close of the first day of 

 the Belvoir in their Melton country; but then they had run 

 into a district said to be almost polar in its attributes, and 

 whose chilly altitude should long favour foxhunting by resisting 

 the incm-sions of brick and mortar. 



I cannot close this short account of the day's doings without 

 taking on myself to mention that the one lady Avho rode 

 through the run, and rode through it brilliantly, was Miss 

 Markham, to whom blind fences and timber appeared equally 

 welcome, and equally to be made light of. 



