84 FOX-HUNTING IN THE SHIRES 



is for the most part a grazing country, of which the 

 quahty is borne witness to by the grand bullocks seen 

 in the fields. It is a district of huge fields and of 

 strong fences, and within its compass are some of 

 the strongest of the still surviving " oxers," of which 

 fine specimens may be seen on the ride from Skeffing- 

 ton village to Rolleston. The Skefhngton Vale is 

 noted for its severity, and I have often wondered what 

 was the exact line the Hon. Crasher took when he 

 led Mr. Sawyer to Tilton in the fog. I imagme he 

 went by Langton Cauldwell over by Stonton Wyville, 

 which would be a quite possible line, though not 

 exactly one we should choose to ride over in cold 

 blood. At all events this portion of Mr. Femie's 

 country is one of the most famous parts of the old 

 Quom territory, nor, so far as I can judge, is it much 

 gone off since the days when Assheton Smith declared 

 that the foxes of Glooston and Stonton were the 

 stoutest in Leicestershire. It was only a week before 

 I write that a fox from Glooston Wood was killed 

 after having given the hounds four runs. One of 

 these runs only was a half circle, the other three 

 being to points of which the shortest was eight miles. 

 Curiously enough, on the occasion the fox was killed 

 he had the longest start of any of those four days, 

 and I am inclined to think there was not so good a 

 scent on this occasion as on the others. It is also to 

 be noticed, while we are on the subject of stoutness, 

 that this fox was run twice within a week, the first 

 time being a Friday and the second the following 

 Thursday. Then came a week's interval and a brilliant 

 ring on the Thursday following, and lastly a straight 

 point into the Cottesmore country on Thursday, 

 March 5, 1903. This does not look like a falling off in 

 stoutness in the foxes of the district. 



