THE ZETLAND HUNT. 175 



the right side of the concealed brook I waa quickly going 

 again. A quarter of a mile further hounds crossed the rail- 

 way, and I found a railway crossing close to them, and for 

 another ten minutes saw no one. Hounds had bent to the left, 

 and suddenly all the field were there, ha,ving cut off a big 

 comer. I waa a good deal chaffed for ha,ving taken Uokerby 

 Stell when flooded, but the fact waa I had not recognised 

 the brook, and had no idea of its presence, for the flood was 

 subsiding, and there was no great rush of water down the 

 centre of the field. 



Hounds ran on to^ Langton Hall, and, I think, lost their 

 fox near the Gardens. They had made a long point, and 

 I had to ride back to Darlington, to which place I had boxed 

 with the Ma&ter of the Braes of Derwenti in the morning. 

 We decided that horses had done enough, and I remember 

 riding for two or three miles and then seeing " Darlington, 

 17 " on a finger-post. By this time it had begun to freeze, 

 and when we arrived at the Station Hotel — where we had a 

 change of garments — I opened my coat, and several thin 

 sheets of ice dropped on toi the floor. So severe, indeed, was 

 the afternoon frost, that even the warmth of my body had 

 not prevented my wet clothes from freezing. Another good 

 hunt that I saw a year or two later was from Gainford Big 

 Wood, in the Tuesday country on the Durham side of the 

 Tees, through Raby and Streatlam, to the Whin Co'vert at 

 Westwick — close to Barnard Castle — where the fox vanished 

 entirely. Scores of quick darts in the Thursday country 

 with these hounds have I seen, and I am inclined 

 to think that, given suitable weather conditions, this Thurg- 

 day conntry is the best in the hunt.. It extends from Croft 

 Spa up the river tO' beyond Piercebridge, and south toi the 

 Bedale border somewhere near Catterick Bridge, and is for 

 the most part a fairly level country, though a little hilly 

 on its western side. In this district there is a good deal more 

 grass than plough, plenty of small coverts and no very big 

 ones, and flying fences everywhere, with a total absence of 

 wire. In the Zetland country the absence of wire is one of 

 the gi-eatest charms of the district. The question of wire 

 was tackled some years ago by Mr. Herbert Straker (the 

 Master) during Lord Zetland's mastership, with the result 



