THE BRAES OF DERWENT COUNTRY. 89 



viewed a fox which broke behind the whipper-in. Hounds 

 were quickly on the line; indeed, I think they had the line 

 in covert, and a quarter of an hour later we were over the 

 North Durham boundary, hounds running hard. I am not 

 going to describe the hunt which followed, which, indeed, 

 would be most difficult, for, though there was a fine scent 

 •and an eager pack, the fox twisted about, taking us all over 

 the country round Lord Bute's, and finally recrossing the rail- 

 way line, which is the border between the two hunts, and 

 going to ground in an open field near Castleside. It was now 

 after seven o'clock, but we were unable to start for home 

 <it once, for certain hounds had disappeared into the drain 

 behind the fox, and we had to get them out before we could 

 leave. To cut a long story short, the hour of nine was strik- 

 ing by Benfieldside Church clock as we turned into the kenned 

 lane, and just then the Master remembered that we were both 

 engaged to a rather important dinner some distance away, 

 and that the dinner was being given as a compliment to some 

 of the foxhunters of the district. 



On the southern bank of the Derwent west of Allansford, 

 and half a mile beyond the bridge, lies Derwent Grange Wood, 

 which is unlike any other covert in the district, being largely 

 composed of beech and oak, and much more like a south 

 country wood than most of those in the Derwent Valley. It 

 contains a head of earths, and often holds a fox; but finds 

 are not so certain on the south side of the river as they are 

 on the north, until Horsley Hope Gill is reached. This joins 

 the Hisehope beck at Combe Bridges, and the joint streams 

 reach the Derwent at Combefield House farm. Here again 

 we have beautiful scenery and a very foxy neighbourhood; 

 but foxes from either gill have a habit of going straight to 

 the Mugglei&wick earthg and it is beoausei all the hunting with 

 foxes found between Allansford and the Sneep, from both 

 sides of the river, begins very often with a visit — on the part 

 of the fox — to the Muggleswick earths that many ridera prefer 

 to stay on the north side of the Derwent, where about five 

 times out of six they are in the right place. At times foxes 

 go south towards the moors, but when this happens they 

 quickly turn in again. They also go to the North Durham 

 country from Horsley Hope, but their most frequent plan is 



