FIVE MILES IN TWELVE MINUTES 19 



From Beckhampton Gorse we had also a few clippers 

 occasionally. 



One, the fastest skurry I ever saw, when the hounds 

 ran five miles in twelve minutes, all over turf without a 

 fence, pulling him down by themselves, and beating every 

 horse out (many thoroughbred ones), and a field of over 

 two hundred horsemen from the three adjoining hunts, 

 with their masters and best riders, the Duke of Beaufort, 

 Assheton Smith, and other celebrated performers. 



From this gorse we had also a very good run to Lidiard 

 Park, beyond Wootton Bassett ; and from Greatwood, in 

 the Christian Malford Vale, we ran a fox to within five 

 miles of Farringdon, in Berkshire. I make no mention 

 of bursts varying from fifteen to fifty minutes, which, on 

 good scenting days, any other pack of well-bred fox- 

 hounds might have finished off in as good style as our 

 own ; but, for perseverance and working through difii- 

 culties, the blood of old John Warde stood unrivalled ; 

 and as a proof of the estimation in which it was held, Mr. 

 Assheton Smith had no less than thirty-six couples in 

 his kennel by my hounds at one time, in the year 1838, 

 twelve years after they had been in my possession. 



Our hounds were of great size and power, with clean 

 necks and shoulders, good legs and feet, and lengthy 

 frames, many of the dogs standing twenty-six inches in 

 height, and the bitches from twenty-three to twenty-five. 

 When I first purchased Warde's pack, it was thought they 

 could never work through our hilly home country, or 

 force a fox from our thick blackthorn woods ; but in this 

 very country they showed themselves to as great advant- 

 age as on the large open pastures of North Wilts ; for, 

 possessing high courage and spirit, they dashed over the 

 stuff which a smaller hound would be obHged to creep 



