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which they traversed at a racing pace. 

 Topping the Park wall, and sinking the 

 extensive Vale beneath, then ran at an incon- 

 ceivable pace (so says the chronicler) over 

 Henstridge Marsh, nearly np to Fifehead 

 Magdalen, crossing the tnrnpike at Five 

 Bridges, and, dashing into the River Cale, 

 went away for the wide inclosnres of Nyland 

 to West Stour, and then to Bugley Copse, 

 Cucklington, Silton, and into the parish 

 of Gillingham, when the honnds ran from 

 scent to view, and rolled him over, the 

 distance being sixteen miles without a check, 

 in one hour and fifteen minutes. Leicester- 

 shire could not beat this, and the Vale runs 

 have been of very common occurrence, many 

 sportsmen being alive now who can remember 

 them in Mr. Drax's time, and that gentleman 

 was the Master of the Blackmore Vale in the 

 early years of the forties. It was easy then 

 to gather that Mr. Digby thought that he 

 could make a Melton of Sherborne, and so he 

 built the Digby Hotel, put up the white 

 hunting gates, and formed an establishment 



