MR. HENRY GREENE 207 



that the proverbial sheet might have covered them. Day was mute 

 with exultation at what his hounds had done ; while Mr. Greene, 

 who set very high store by his huntsman, in the evening sent 

 Tom Day and the whippers-in a basket of some old wine, which 

 had lain for twenty years in the cellars at Rolleston. The head 

 of the fox was sent to a taxidermist's to be mounted in silver, with 

 an appropriate inscription engraved, to commemorate a run which, 

 it was said, would not be speedily forgotten by those who took 

 part in it. 



The last day of the year ( 1841) was marked by 

 another excellent run. 



Meeting at Widmerpool, hounds soon found in Howthorpe 

 plantation, and after some delay in covert, a fox broke in the 

 direction of Cotgrove Gorse, a favourite covert of Mr. Musters's. 

 Skirting the gorse on the right, the fox ran a circle round by the 

 brick-kilns to the Decoy, and after leaving Kinoulton went as 

 though for Howthorpe, and then turned short to the left to 

 Kinoulton Gorse, which he threaded, and went over the Fosse road. 

 He next pointed for Bunny, thence to Kegworth, which he passed 

 on the right, and turned towards Normanton village, leaving that 

 also on the right, and then swung short to the left, as though he 

 would go to Debdale Gorse, a covert which he passed one field to 

 the right. Then he went to Plumtree village, close to the back 

 of the houses, crossed the high-road, and went towards Tollerton 

 Park, where he tried dodging, but the hounds were running at 

 such a tremendous pace that he was not able to stay. In the 

 pond there is a small island, and thither he swam, the pack 

 following his example, and, before he could get away, they pulled 

 him down. Day offered a labouring man half-a-guinea to fetch 

 the fox, but the man, having the fear of cold water and the pack 

 of baying hounds before his eyes, laconically replied, " I dussent." 

 Presently the second whip arrived, and that worthy man made no 

 bones about it, but went on to the island and brought back the 

 fox,- his teeth (the whip's, not the fox's) chattering with cold. 

 Colonel Wyndham, who, as usual, was up at the finish, handed 

 the swimmer his flask, with directions to take as much as he liked. 

 This run lasted for one hour and fifty-five minutes, and, consider- 

 ing that these hounds, which were located at Quorn, had not been 

 out for a fortnight, they must have had enough of it, to say nothing 

 of the men who had ridden over thirty-three miles to covert, seen 



