SEASON 1877-78 109 



of the Hunt, and Frank Gillard going to church in 

 scarlet. After the grand ceremony and breakfast 

 were over, a very large field accompanied the pack 

 to Burbidge's Cover, where a fox was found who 

 proved quite equal to the occasion. A crowd of 

 foot-hunters had stationed themselves on the high 

 ground overlooking the cover, but bold reynard 

 swam the river and ran through their very midst. 

 Once clear of them he took a bee line, with the 

 hounds pretty close to his brush, away by Burton 

 Lazars, Berry Gorse, Laxton Spinney, over the 

 Whissendine brook, and passed the village by 

 Ranksboro Gorse and the Punch Bowl, entering 

 Wheat Hill planting. Here there were two or 

 three foxes, but the pack, sticking to their hunted 

 one, ran back by Wild's Lodge to ground near 

 Melton ; the time was an hour and fifty-three 

 minutes. To commemorate the happy occasion the 

 bride and bridegroom presented Gillard with a silver 

 hunting-horn, and as they went away from Melton 

 by train they viewed hounds with their fox running 

 from Burbidge's Covert. 



A hound day is recorded by Frank on De- 

 cember 17th, after meeting at Scrimshaw Mill as 

 follows: "A good hunting run resulted "from the 

 Rectory away past Elton, where we crossed the 

 railway by the Plaster pits. Here a fast train cut 

 through the pack, killing a fine bitch called Novelist, 

 but we ran on by Thorston and the Coronation 

 Covert, marking to ground at Flintham. This was 

 a good straight gallop at a rattling; pace, distance 

 as the crow flies from six to seven miles, and it 



