1879 -so.] ASH WEDNESDAY WITH THE BELVOTK. 315 



front together. A brace of foxes liad reached tlie covert shnul- 

 taiieously ; the one had gone tliroiigh (most of the pack after 

 him), and a keeper or a farmer was loudly pointing his line. 

 But the leading couples (Gillard with them, horn at work) 

 dashed down the road for Coston, racing along the muddy lane 

 as if in sight of their fox. At the cross roads a few Iiundred 

 3'ards on, three hounds took the fields with a line — and a 

 burning scent. They had crossed the little Coston Brook, and 

 a field beyond, before an}' of their comrades were even striving- 

 after them. And now how shall I put it ? These three 

 hounds were running desperately ; and the field imagmed, or 

 fondly tried to believe, that the others were close at them. 

 But it was wrong, sinful — more wrong, more sinful, than being 

 out hunting at all to-da}', that men should have given them- 

 selves to ride to a couple (Uid a half of hounds. Yet it was 

 marvellous to see those three hounds race along — not only over 

 turf, but for half a mile down a road, then over a woolly fallow, 

 turning out of the lane with a swing that did not take them a 

 yard over the line. It was miser}' to pull up ; ini(i[uitous to go 

 on — and iniquity for long had the best of it, in spite of loud 

 deprecating utterances from those who were in front, and on 

 whom the duty of stopping them should have devolved. At 

 length the flagrancy of the misdoing became so obvious and 

 pronounced, as to overcome both anxiety to be forward and 

 dread of seeming officiousness — and, as soon as they could be 

 reached, the three hounds were stopped, for Gillard to bring 

 on a reinforcement. Even this caused scarce a moment's dela}'. 

 Their half-blown fox had turned through the village of 

 Sproxton ; and from it they sprung on again with a whole pack 

 and undiminished vigour. The line had curled completel}- 

 round, and set their heads again for the same Coston Brook. 

 As I have often dared to say before, we are bad water-jumpers 

 in Leicestershire ; and the little stream, not ten feet wide, Avas 

 at once choked in half a dozen places by struggling horse 

 and man. One of our most gallant soldiers was ])ulled, more 

 than half-drowned, from under his horse. His boot came off 



