344 THE. CREAM OF LEICESTEESHIRE. [Skasox 



neiit with others. (Forty-five minutes to here.) Neal lielcl 

 hounds forward up a single fiekl ; they hit it off at once, and 

 were awa,y again hefore horses had snatched more than half a 

 minute's breathing time. But even this helped them a great 

 deal; and allowed them to struggle onwards over the swampy 

 grass. Severity neither of pace nor ground appeared to affect 

 Mr. Cecil Cliai>lin's grey, any more than did the fact that he 

 was carrying — well, no feather. Even after forty-five minutes 

 the two preferred stiff timber to a crowded gateway ; and went 

 on at once with a hundred yards advantage — to be increased 

 rather than diminished, as hounds left Kanksboro' Hill and 

 Cold Overton I'i.shpond just to the right, to cross the Oakham- 

 and-Melton Road. I may be pardoned for repeating a dictum 

 from a dozen mouths, viz., that a welter weight never went 

 better to hounds in a fast run than Mr. Chaplin did to-day. 



Along the brookside to "Whissendine Village the fox had been 

 viewed ; and the huntsman was able to save a couple of sticky 

 fallows. Grief by this time had been freqvient ; coats and hats, 

 and even habits, bore testimony to the quality of the gallop ; 

 horses were sobbing ; while jumping was at a discount, and 

 very feeble when enforced. Passing just to the right of 

 Whissendine "Spillage, the chase went on — the pace getting 

 extra credit from the blown condition of the horses. The 

 ragged bridle-road that is known as the T.angham Lane was 

 eagerly seized upon, while the pack streamed along the 

 meadows on the right. Thej' dwelt, however, a moment or 

 two to let all join them who could, before the}'- bore again more 

 round towards the village of Langham. Mr. Hugh Lovvther, 

 jumping out of the road, here cut across their front, in 

 time to view their beaten fox creeping along the bank of the 

 brook behind the village. Bar accidents he Avas theirs now. 

 But that accident nearl}^ came in the shape of a passing train : 

 and while a single hound dashed forward close after the fox, it' 

 was a minute or two before the huntsman could extricate the 

 others from the railway and bring them to the front. Burley 

 Woods loomed on the hill not a mile away : but the sanctuary 



