1877—78.] PERILS BY LAND AND WATER. 217 



escaped from the fact of their horses being bokl enough to 

 jump sideways out of the railway, the train within twenty yards 

 of them. 



Three minutes afterwards, hounds running fiercely, they 

 came to the AVreake. The pack shook themselves on the 

 opposite bank ; Lord Castlereagh jumped in ; and the stream 

 at this point turned out to be so shallow, that his horse had only 

 a few strokes to swim. Emboldened by his example, others 

 found it quite fordable five yards to the right. Miss Paget 

 earned the honour of being the first lady who ever rode across 

 the Wreake ; and Mr, Coupland, Firr, Captain Candy, the 

 Messrs. Lowther, and one or two others crossed almost dry. 

 After running quick on to Cossington Gorse, a bob-tailed fox 

 was soon hmited to death in the immediate neighbourhood. 

 In the afternoon hounds were taken back to the Friday side of 

 the river ; and from Queniborough Spinney there ensued a 

 capital half-hour (with galloping and jumping galore) round by 

 Barsby, Baggrave, and Humberstone to Barkby Holt, where 

 the day ended. All hereabouts know how pleasant a district 

 this is, with a quick-jumping horse and a fan* scent — for turf 

 is the only crop grown, and the fences are merely such as dairy 

 farms require. 



Monday, Nov. 26, contained another little flutter, which 

 redeemed the day and saved us (and ten times more our most 

 anxious master) from despondency. All Widmerpool, you may 

 be surprised to hear, was drawn blank. No, its dependency, 

 Kinoulton, held a fox, unsavoury even in death. Hounds 

 declined him with thanks, and were taken on to Parson's 

 Covert. Nothing alive here. Ditto, it appeared for a long 

 and miserably cold time, at Curate's Gorse. But Firr drew it 

 and redrew it ; a puppy now and again squeaked unechoed 

 (obtaining only a mental promise of whipcord) ; till, just as 

 dull despair had established her throne, a " tallyho-back" 

 sent a glow through each chilled and shivering frame. Men 

 that a moment ago were looking absolutely ghastly and blue as 

 in the last stage of cholera suddenly sprang to life and vigour ; 



