240 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



pack crowned their smart gallop by racing up to 

 their fox, kilhng him by the keeper's lodge, in 

 twenty-three minutes from the start." Reviving 

 his riding recollection of this fine burst, Frank 

 remarked : " On jumping out of the Sproxton and 

 Wymondham road, I got the lead on old Farewell 

 and kept it too, though Mr. Alfred Brocklehurst 

 drew up to me once or twice, but near the finish, as 

 we were both riding for a gate out of the field, I saw 

 some cattle running up to it, and turning quickly, 

 had the fence whilst he got penned at the gate." 



A curious accident happened to a hound called 

 Student in a day's hunting round Leadenham ; 

 jumping off the parapet of the railway bridge, he fell 

 a distance of forty feet, fortunately landing on some 

 grass, and beyond being shaken was little the worse. 

 On another occasion, when a hound Garnet did a 

 similar thing he broke his leg, which was immediately 

 set with a piece of stick by Arthur Wilson the first 

 whip ; and so well was it done that it mended, being 

 difficult to see next season that it had ever been 

 broken. 



A memorable day's sport occurred on February 

 13th, when hounds found a fox in Aswarby Coverts, 

 and raced him so hard that he was glad to seek the 

 shelter of an open cottage door at Swarby. A baby 

 lay on the hearth-rug, over which the fox jumped 

 and went up the chimney, the mother of the child 

 fortunately being just in time to slam the door in 

 the face of the pack. We then had the curious 

 sight of Kane Croft climbing on to the roof of the 

 cottage, peering down the chimney-pot at the fox. 



