A Week at Melton, 35 



mucli at liome in tlie mad cliarge at Balaclava as lie 

 was in a run with the Cottesmore from Kanksborough 

 Gorse. 



On the particular occasion of my visit, however, the 

 fixtures were : The Quorn, at Swithland Village, about 

 sixteen miles from Melton ; The Belvoir, at Allington 

 Hall; Mr. Tailby^s, at Stockerston, eighteen miles; 

 and The Cottesmore, at Langham, about eight miles, 

 lying in the direction of Oakham. Knowing the latter 

 country of old, I determined to try the Cottesmore 

 first, as my recollections of the neighbourhood of 

 Langham were decidedly favourable. When I sat 

 down to breakfast I was not a little surprised at the 

 provision that was made for an intending sportsman — 

 a round of beef somewhere about 201b. in weight, 

 flanked by a ham of equal proportions, with sundry 

 little kickshaws, mere trifles in comparison with the 

 •pieces de resistance, such as chickens, eggs, bacon, 

 etc., which seemed a very liberal provision for one. 

 But the wisdom of such a bounteous supply was soon 

 apparent, for, whilst I was discussing the ^' delicacies 

 of the season,^' a gentleman arrived and sat down with 

 me whom I afterwards ascertained to be Mr. Spafi'ord, 

 of Navenby-heath, Grantham — a well-known Lincoln- 

 shire farmer — who had ridden from Lincoln to Melton, 

 a distance of thirty -two miles, in order to hunt with 

 the Cottesmore. I felt satisfied that if there were 

 many visitors who were in the habit of taking such 

 rides before breakfast, it was highly necessary to make 

 ample provision. A very fair day's ride this gentle- 

 man accomplished, as he came eight miles to cover, 

 went with the hounds all day, came back to dinner at 

 the George, and rode again to Lincoln at night — one 



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