A WEEK AT OAKHAM 223 



shown such excellent sport of late on a Monday that 

 very many people turn their horses' heads in that 

 direction, bearing in mind that, although there may 

 be a long trot in the morning, yet that the afternoon 

 draw is likely to lead us homeward at night. The 

 Cottesmore hunt in this direction right away to 

 Lincolnshire. On Monday the hounds are often to 

 be found in some of the big woodlands of the north- 

 eastern part of their territory bordering on the Bel- 

 voir country. Into the territories of that hunt they 

 not seldom take back a travelling fox that has been 

 driven over the border by the Duke of Rutland's 

 pack. The going is often heavy, and, as the fen- 

 land is approached, the man whose horse will not 

 face the big dykes is apt to be left behind. Some 

 of these dykes can be jumped by a bold horse, but 

 in my Lincolnshire days I have seen horses, and 

 notably a clever, well-bred, lop-eared mare belong- 

 ing to a hard riding young farmer, slip neatly down 

 one side, take a standing leap at the bottom, and 

 scramble up the other. If a horse can and will do 

 this, though it takes time, yet it occupies far less 

 than dragging him out of a dyke with a team of cart 

 horses, after an abortive attempt to fly a drain. 



The scent in this part of the country varies a good 

 deal. At times hounds can run very fast and at others 

 they have to work for every foot of ground they cover. 

 When scent is such that hounds can go fast, horses 

 are often reduced to a very steady pace by fields of 

 holding plough or deep woodland rides. Thus the 

 man who goes out simply for a gallop will not as a 

 rule choose this side of the Cottesmore. On the 

 other hand, there are great pleasures in store for 

 those who love hunting, for they will see Thatcher 

 and his dog hounds. This is a very killing pack. 



