296 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Season 1878—79. 



All, 'tis a sweet country and sweet fun as hounds run thus 

 to Keyham, and past the right of that viHage straight for 

 Scraptoft Hall (twenty minutes). "With the laurels so directly 

 in front, and the Gorse just on the left, most of the pursuing 

 crowd bear in that direction. Hounds, with a not uncommon 

 perversity, bend the other way — and hence, as they sweep 

 down the valley towards Humberstone village there are onlj' 

 four or five riders in immediate attendance. A dozen feet 

 from bank to bank, the farther one strongly hedged, is no eas}' 

 jump for a Uttle horse, and had best not be attempted at all by 

 a cowardly one. Custance's small mare rockets over without 

 touching a twig ; Mr. Marshall does it in-and-out ; Captain 

 O'Neal and Mr. G. Paget are successful too ; while Mr. Beau- 

 mont jumps in — and hauls out. The pace is scarcely so quick 

 now — indeed, up to Scraptoft will be reckoned the fastest part 

 of the run — but after the brook (that watering the Humber- 

 stone-and-Scraptoft valley) is passed, the liunt closes up once 

 more, and Evington is reached — a point of five-and-a-half miles 

 in thirty minutes. By Stoughton and Oadby they ran and 

 hunted fast ; and should have had their fox. But a probable 

 change was spoken of near the former village. At any rate, 

 with a left turn they arrived Glen Gorse after almost exactlj' 

 one hour, of such a chase as few foxes could liave withstood. 

 The line had passed Avithin a few yards of the covert ; and 

 owing, no doubt, to the advisabilit}^ of making the covert 

 *'safe" on every side, a long delay was succeeded by little 

 further result. Their fox was tracked nearl}^ to AVistow, and 

 was then given up. But it had been a fine run, with a point of 

 more than eight miles and over an excellent country. Almost 

 every resident and visitor in the land between Melton and 

 Market Harborough was there to assist in this winding-up 

 feat of the Quorn; and divers strangers had come from far. 

 There was a strong partj^ from Rugby ; and I should not omit 

 to mention that Miss Davy rode forward as well as anyone in 

 the gallop. 



