290 THE QUORN HUNT 



there was a good run from Grimston Gorse to Melton 

 Spinney. 



Nothing of much importance appears to have hap- 

 pened at the opening of the season 1864-65, but with 

 December sport improved, and under Mr. Clowes the 

 Ouorn enjoyed a series of good runs in the last month 

 of the year. Early in December they had a capital hour 

 and twenty minutes from Scraptoft Spinneys, across by 

 Glen Gorse, and round by Wigston, hounds killing 

 their fox on the Harborough turnpike road ; but this 

 run was eclipsed by one which took place a few days 

 afterwards from Bunny Woods. Hounds simply raced 

 for six miles as far as Hicklin, and then, at a somewhat 

 slower pace, hunted their fox on to Clawson Thorns, 

 where he managed to get away. In this run Mr. 

 Gilmour's horse put its foot in a rabbit-hole, and gave 

 its rider a heavy fall, which kept that excellent sports- 

 man out of the saddle for some little time. 



Early in the new year frost set in, and what was 

 hoped would have been one of the best seasons Leices- 

 tershire had known for some time was quite marred by 

 the hard ground. 



It was in the year 1865 that the Grand National was 

 won by Alcibiade, belonging to Mr. B. J. Angell, con- 

 sequently all Leicestershire was in a state of rejoicing. 

 Mr. Coventry rode the horse, and it was said that he, 

 Mr. Angell, Captain Coventry, and two others divided 

 something like ,£30,000 between them over the event ; 

 the sporting Leicestershire folk were additionally glad of 

 the victory, because the rider of Alcibiade took his first 

 lessons in horsemanship in the neighbourhood of Melton. 



In January 1866 Mr. Clowes had a somewhat novel 

 experience. The hounds were hunting in the neighbour- 

 hood of Nether Broughton, and on reaching a wheat 

 field belonging to a farmer named Brett, the master 

 and his followers were somewhat astonished to find 



