With the North Warwickshire, 265 



Barwell^ Mr. Nuttall, Mrs. Standbridge, who rides very 

 hard and well to hounds without making any display ; 

 Captain Pritchard Rayner, Mrs. Upperton, also a very 

 clever horsewoman ; Mr. S. Darby, Count and Countess 

 Stockau, Miss Podmore, etc. etc. The hounds were 

 speedily trotted off to Coton House, where there is an 

 extensive range of plantations, and as I trotted up to 

 the cover side, a view halloa proclaimed that a fox was 

 found, who went away pointing for a capital line of 

 " country.'^ Castleman soon brought his hounds to 

 the halloa, and away we went at a racing pace over 

 some stiff fences. At this moment I thought we 

 were in for a good thing, and having a capital start 

 I fancied I could hold my own, mounted as I was on 

 so perfect a hunter, but our fox shirked the open, and 

 took to a drain at this early hour of the morning, 

 after a run of ten minutes. However, he was not 

 allowed to throw up the sponge at this early period of 

 the day, and a terrier having been introduced to his 

 temporary abode, he forthwith gave notice to quit, 

 and bolting out, ran past the village of Newton, 

 making for the Rugby and Stamford Railway, which 

 he crossed, then over the brook, which took in some, 

 and did for a good many others, and then raced away 

 to Lilbourne ; at this time the pace was severe and 

 the fences stiff; from thence we ran to Mr. Morrice's, 

 Catthorpe Towers, which were speedily left behind, 

 and then we went a splitter to Swinford, where we 

 ran our fox to ground after a very good run. After 

 this we proceeded to draw for another fox, having to 

 return to Coton House, as we had run our first fox to 

 ground in the Pytchley country. There we drew the 

 covers blank; no doubt there were plenty of other 



