308 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIEE. [Season 



former broke a stiiTiip-leatlier at a critical juncture ; and his 

 place %Yas taken by Neal, Capt. Smith, Capt. Middleton, Lord 

 Carington, and Col. Gosling. Lord Castlereagh was near at 

 hand ; and so was Lord Queensberry, with a fainting horse, 

 Lord James Douglas, and ]\Ir. Beaumont — though each of the 

 four fences up the hill to Oakham Pasture brought the latter 

 a fall apiece ! Mr. Clayton, too, formed one of the struggling 

 front division ; in which Lady Florence Dixie and Mrs. G. 

 Stirling were also to be numbered. Hounds Avere reached at 

 Oakham Pasture, but held on beyond as far as the brook be- 

 tween there and Manton Gorse. The tremendous pace had 

 crushed their fox. He turned leftwards by Martinsthorpe (the 

 extreme point), crossed the railwa}', was hunted back towards 

 Oakham Town, jumped up in view — a great fellow with back 

 arched, brush dangling, and all his pride gone. Yet he made 

 one hard struggle more, was run in view for several fields, gained 

 two minutes' more life by doubling a hedgerow, then was made 

 the centre object of a noisy, hot, delighted crowd who had 

 met the returning chase and shared the finish. There was no 

 mange about hin back ; and, i'faith, three foxes — mvich more 

 two — miglit have been run to death in tliat desperate cliase. 

 Twenty-five reallij fast minutes will, as all the world knows, 

 break the heart of any single fox. This run was an hour 

 and twenty minutes in all — nnd fully fifty of it had been extra- 

 ordinarily fast. Yes, there had been pace, time, and distance 

 enough to slay two fine foxes. WJiere the change came is 

 merely a matteV of theory and speculation. The map Avill 

 show that the route between the extreme points of the Boman 

 Camp of Borough Hill and ]Martinsthorpe was boAv-shaped, in 

 its curve by Banksboro". And now I have nothing more to 

 add on the subject of this splendid run. 



The following incident is published as a warning to such as 

 would pursue the fox in Charnwood Forest, without providing 

 themselves with trained guides or taking the ordinary precau- 

 tion of mountaineers — of connecting the party by means of 

 ropes when crossing the more dangerous heights. While the 



