1884. 9 



our left, and crossing the Bruton and Sparkford 

 Road. At Cadbury House we had news of him, 

 which the hounds did not fail to endorse in cheer- 

 ing tones as they ran below the house and down 

 to the brook, which they skirted ; some ardent 

 spirits jumping it at once, to be on the safe side. 

 Just under Woolston Copse the hounds turned 

 sharpl}' up the steep hill on their right, and 

 found that their fox was visiting the main earths, 

 which, greatly to his disappointment, no doubt, 

 he found strictly closed to him. Hounds dusted 

 him so well up and down the cover that he was 

 forced to face the open once more, and, pointing 

 for Blackford, ran a short ring, returning to 

 Woolston only to die at the end of fifty-seven 

 minutes. The country rode beautifully, and 

 scent w^as nearly good enough to be the fore- 

 runner of frost, but the evening clouded over 

 and turned to rain, and, indeed, in the afternoon 

 there was little or no scent, for, though tlie 

 liounds spoke to a line in Sparkford Wood, 

 which was the next draw, the}^ could make 

 nothing of it. 



