WEEK AT MARKET HARBOROUGH 73 



certain well-known house standing on a hill flies a 

 red flag when the owner is at home. " What is that 

 flag for ? " asked a stranger, as he was trotting home 

 after hunting. " Oh," replied his companion, " that 

 is to show that the country is wired for ten miles 

 round." 



Now, let the newcomer take his card and lay out 

 his week's hunting. Monday will be spent with Mr. 

 Fernie in that delightful little bit of country which 

 lies southward of the Harborough-Leicester turnpike. 

 The stranger, if he cares for the past and its history, 

 will not forget that all Mr. Fernie's country belonged 

 at one time to the Quorn. It was, indeed, known 

 to our forefathers as the Harborough country, and 

 was regarded by them with admiration and awe ; 

 admiration because of the wide grass pastures, and 

 awe on account of the stiffness of its fences. As it 

 was then, so it is now, except that there are more 

 fences and more coverts than when Mr. Assheton Smith 

 dared the former, or when Mr. Osbaldeston invited 

 his followers somewhat rashly " to ride over them 

 now," when the hounds raced away over its pastures. 



This Harborough country has been written about 

 most often by the older writers on hunting. One 

 reason of this is that Nimrod seems generally to have 

 visited Leicestershire late in the season, and there 

 is no doubt that, about Harborough especially, the 

 country round Slawston, Shangton Holt and the 

 Ashlands valley carries a better scent late in the year 

 than do most other parts. When other hunting 

 countries, as we have seen, are dried up, then High 

 Leicestershire can still be ridden over and hounds can 

 often race a fox to death. Mr. Fernie's Monday 

 country on its southern border marches with the 

 Pytchley, the Harborough and Lutterworth road being 



