BAGGRAVE. 50 



and congratulations were being interchanged, by tlie side 

 of a drain close to Cream Gorse ; and about ten minutes 

 later — as the huntsman was about to throw hounds into 

 the gorse in search of a fresh fox — the run one bolted of 

 his own accord. A stout-hearted hardy fellow, the latter 

 went bravely forward ; but this time preferred the colder 

 plough to the grass that had been made so warm for 

 him. So, slowly and Avitli little incident — if we except 

 the wide string of catastrophes that decked a broad 

 watercourse on the way — he was once more ran ta 

 ground (about a mile from Melton), and there left. 



Saturday, the 1 7th, was, as you remember, a gruesome 

 day ; and if fate took you out either with the Belvoir or 

 the Quorn, you found little to reward you for facing 

 the snow and rain. 



Monday, the 10th, with the last-named pack at Rat- 

 cliffe-on-the-Wreake, was again stormy and scentless. 

 A^ery little could in consequence be done with the young 

 foxes at AValton Thorns ; though late in the day a 

 weakly one was easily killed from Lord Aylesford's 

 Covert, leaving unfortunately his bloodstain in Grim- 

 ston Gorse. 



Tuesday, the 20th, was sharp, cold, and rough, but by 

 all accounts more favourable to scent. The Quorn (who 

 would seem to have come in for all the sport so far) had 

 an excellent forty minutes from a little corner of their 

 country (beyond Leicester) into that of Sir Bache Cunard. 

 They found at Narborougli Bog (though how a fox could 

 have found a dry kennel in that morass after the recent 

 floods would be puzzling indeed, but that foxes are sa 



