358 THE QUORN HUNT 



ran fast, the Ouorn via Sherbroke Covert, and the Bel- 

 voir in the vale by the Curate's Gorse. At Flint Hill 

 Spinney it was that both packs met, there being two 

 foxes in covert. Whether a fresh fox jumped up, or 

 whether both packs went away with one of the hunted 

 foxes, is not certain ; but a rattling good gallop took 

 place from a spinney to Dalby Osier-bed, where the fox 

 was pulled down, the two packs having run together for 

 about forty minutes, and each having made something 

 like a seven-mile point. 



Lord Manners's short mastership was unfortunately 

 marked on the whole by a bad scenting-time. Some 

 good runs, of course, took place, but as a rule scent was 

 indifferent ; while he was confronted by another diffi- 

 culty, as for a year or two before he took the hounds 

 scent had lain so well that nearly all the old foxes had 

 been killed off. As every one knows, without a certain 

 proportion of elders really good sport is next to im- 

 possible, young foxes never running, as a rule, quite so 

 boldly as the older ones, especially on good scenting- 

 days ; and it is stated that the bulk of those in the 

 country when Lord Manners took the hounds simply 

 ran about in circles, after the manner of hares. 



It should have been mentioned before that when 

 Lord Manners became master it was resolved to ad- 

 vertise on no more than three days a week, the Friday 

 fixture being kept a secret, in order to try to avoid the 

 crowd ; though, as already remarked, it may be doubted 

 whether the new departure appreciably diminished the 

 fields. 



In 1884 Tom Firr had the misfortune to break his 

 collar-bone ; while in the summer of the next year Lei- 

 cestershire had to lament the death of Major Clagett, 

 who was well known with the Quorn, although perhaps 

 he was more often out with the Cottesmore. He re- 

 turned from India in 1864, married the widow of Lord 



