1876—77.] THE TWO (iEEAT RUNS OF THE SEASON. 185 



the pack will take no heed of strangers, and the hunt is like a 

 ship without a rudder. One member of the party yells over 

 the line with all the little breath left to him, till cheeks are 

 purple, eyes threaten to jump out, and the brim of his hat is 

 nearly waved off. The Colonel leaves his steed to lean with 

 his head over a gate, while he runs after the hounds to turn 

 them. But, in spite of all these scientific efforts, some minutes 

 are lost ere the hounds can be brought on to where they are 

 now holloaing back on the Melton steeplechase course ; so it 

 may be taken that this grand burst virtually ended — in its 

 character as such — on the Thorpe Trussels road. 



However the hounds soon recovered the line, and carried it 

 over Burrough Village to enter upon the finest and wildest 

 grass country we can boast in the Midlands. But neither 

 huntsman nor whip was to the front — their horses being dead 

 beat by the pace ; so much valuable time was lost ; and when 

 hounds might have been carried forward to the head they were 

 straggling helplessly. I have little hesitation in saying that 

 could the executive have been there on second horses a run 

 might have been carried out that would have had no parallel 

 for 5'ears. As it was, the field Avas kept moving on over the 

 beautiful Twyford and Marfield country till another short 

 check came at the end of an hour and five minutes under 

 Halstead. Again the chase was continued, and for fifteen 

 minutes more they ran nicely and continuously to Owston 

 Wood. Without halting, they took the line on through both 

 the woods of Owston, through Lady Wood, back to Orton 

 Park Wood, till eventually hounds and horses brought up 

 quite tired out near the Kennels of Barleythorpe — a single run 

 (no doubt with various foxes) of fully two hours and over more 

 than fifteen miles of country. 



Nine couple of hounds meanwhile made another run of their 

 own from Owston Wood to Launde, thence over a splendid 

 country, past Belton to Wardle}' Wood, through this, leaving 

 two couple behind, the remainder killing their fox in the 

 corner of AUexton Wood, Colonel Burnab}^ alone saw all this. 



