258 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



rode was on February 25tli this season," said Frank 

 Gillard. '' We went from Harby Covert to the 

 edge of Dalby Wood in forty-five minutes, eleven 

 miles — 1 measured on the map afterwards the way 

 hounds took." A fox was well found at Harby 

 Covert, and for fifteen minutes the pack raced as if 

 glued to his brush, taking a beautiful fine of country 

 by Hose Thorns and Sherbrooke's Covert. The 

 fences are big and strong, but the sound turf offers 

 the best take off, and the Rev. J. P. Seabrooke, 

 with Captain Barry, acted as excellent pilots up to 

 Holwell Mouth. As they galloped at topmost 

 pace down into the vale, the reverend gentleman 

 took a most awful cropper, and up the hill to Dalby 

 Wood the gray horse Macnab, who carried Gillard, 

 turned a complete somersault over a tall unyielding 

 fence. " Confound those lawyers," said Frank, as 

 he scrambled to his feet again, " I always call those 

 briery fences lawyers because they cling to you so ! " 

 Amongst the second division pegging along in this 

 brilliant gallop was Mr. Brockton and his daughter, 

 the latter going gallantly on an own brother to St. 

 Gatien, INIrs. Cook, riding a gray, INIr. C. Hodgson, 

 and Mr. Serecole. Being headed by a labourer, 

 this o'ood fox turned for Six Hills road, enter- 



o 



ing Saxelby Spinney, and here occurred the first 

 check in a gallop of forty minutes. Hunting care- 

 fully on to Grimstone Gorse, they turned back to 

 Saxelby Spinney with all the dash and vigour of 

 the start, and racing past Shoby, rolled their fox 

 over in the middle of a grass field near to Hoby in 

 Quorn domains. The field were the wrong side of 



