SEASON 1873-74 61 



forty minutes. Several foxes were afoot, but 

 sticking M^ell to the line of the hunted one, they 

 followed him on through Woolfox Plantation, and 

 ended up by marking to ground in Exton Park, 

 near to the keeper's house. The distance hounds 

 ran as measured on the map was 22 miles. 



One of the best known of the Melton division 

 was Sir Frederick Johnstone of Westerhall, who 

 with his brother did more skylarking than any- 

 body, except Mr. " Chicken " Hartopp. But the 

 Johnstones should be good horsemen, for the crest 

 of the family suggests life in the saddle, being a 

 winged spur with the motto, " Nunquam non 

 paratus." It is said to have originated from the 

 lady of the house serving up a clean spur on a dish 

 when the last bullock was killed — a hint to spur 

 over the border and fetch more from Cumberland 

 or Westmoreland. A convivial spirit with Lord 

 Waterford, Sir Frederick was always full of ride, 

 and ready for a good thing with Bel voir, Quorn, 

 or Cottesmore. When looking through the locker 

 of his memory Gillard brought to light the follow- 

 ing story, going back to the days when he carried 

 the horn for the Quorn : — " We were sailing away 

 with a breast-high scent across those great bullock 

 pastures by Asfordby, and all the timber was up. 

 I was riding one of my best horses, Tom Day, a 

 wonderful fencer, and we cleared a wide place 

 with an ox-rail on the far side, and I think it was 

 one of the biggest I ever jumped ! Sir Frederick 

 Johnstone was close up, banging along over all 

 those big fences, and as he followed on, I looked 



