270 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



By the courtesy of the editor of the Field newspaper I <fl 

 am enabled to give the account that appeared in that 

 journal in its issue of 13th February 1869, 



" The Fearful Accident with the York and Ainsty. 



" It was a beautiful morning on Thursday, Feb. 4, when 

 the York and Ainsty met at Stainley House. We chopped 

 the first fox in Cayton Gill, but found again in Monckton 

 Whin at 12.40. There was a splendid scent, but the fox 

 twisted about a good deal, and, though the pace was tre- 

 mendous, yet, after an hour's running, the fox crossed the 

 river at Newby, just in front of the hounds, and only about 

 two miles and a half from where he was found. 



" The river was very high from the floods, and a very 

 strong stream was running, in consequence of which the 

 fox was carried over Newby Weir, and the whole of the 

 hounds also ; but they all got out safely, and took up the 

 scent immediately on the opposite side. There is a ford 

 just below, with posts marked with different distances up 

 to the height of five feet, so as to show when the river is 

 f ordable ; but on that day the river was so high that not 

 even the posts were visible. We were all, therefore, 

 obliged to make for the ferry. 



" The ferry-boat was overloaded, and no sooner did it 

 get into the stream than the water began to rush in over 

 the sides. Sir Charles Slingsby's horse, " Old Saltfish " 

 (whom he bought the first year he took the hounds, fifteen 

 years ago), finding there was something wrong, jumped 

 into the water. Sir Charles held on to the reins, to 

 induce him to swim alongside ; but, not calculating suf- 

 ficiently the force of the stream and the weight of the 

 horse, he was overbalanced and fell in. (I have seen 



