MR. CLOWES 287 



however, wound up with the intimation that Mr. Clowes 

 had just gone away to be married. 



The excitement in connection with the wire-fencing 

 appears to have soon subsided, several farmers having 

 agreed to take it down during the hunting season, while 

 in Mr. Tailby's country they, almost to a man, readily 

 freed the fields from that scourge, so in acknowledg- 

 ment a considerable sum of money was subscribed to 

 increase the prizes at the farmers' races. There was one 

 farmer, however, in the Ouorn country who, although he 

 did not employ wire as a means of fencing, was a very 

 fine hand at preserving some strong and high posts and 

 rails and ox fences. He lived in a favourite district, and, 

 in years gone by, was accustomed to say that he saw two 

 men only fit to go out hunting. One was Mr. Gressley 

 Wilson and the other Lord Alvanley, who, in their 

 hardest riding days, were the only pair, he averred, he 

 ever saw go straight across his farm. This certainly 

 speaks volumes for the strength of his fences and the 

 nerve of the two horsemen in question. 



As soon as the year 1864 dawned sport was greatly 

 interfered with by frost and fog, and it was not till the 

 end of the month, when the hounds met at Great Dalby, 

 that there was an appearance of anything like decent 

 hunting weather. The hounds drew Gartree Hill blank, 

 and then down came the fog so thickly that although 

 they found a fox in Thorpe Trussells they might as 

 well have run him in the middle of the night. The 

 field nearly lost the pack, and the foremost could only 

 ride to them by strongly putting to the test their sense of 

 hearing. On the following Saturday, when they met at 

 Beaumanor, Lord Stamford came out for the first time 

 in that year. 



As the season 1863-64 neared its end, Mr. Bromley 

 Davenport sustained a bad fall early in March. The 

 hounds were running very fast from Cream Gorse 



