138 THE BEST SEASON OX EECORD. 



and Arthur might perhaps have histed a while longer ; 

 but, Avitli the exception of one or two second (or 

 third ?) horses recently picked up, scarcely another steed 

 had a gallop left in him. The remaining horsemen 

 consisted, if 1 am not mistaken, only of the Duke of 

 Portland, Major Starkey, Captains Boyce, Smith, and 

 Tennent ; Messrs. Beaumont, B. Burdett Coutts, Craw- 

 ley, G. Drummond, Foster, Knowles, Lubbock, Praed 

 and Pryor — watli Down's little son on the thiiest of 

 ponies ! 



With a kill after those forty-five minutes — and never 

 was a kill more truly earned — this run would have 

 been held a great event even in this truly wonderful 

 season. 



Monday, Januar}^ 1-ith, too, with the Quorn, was 

 again more than an ordinary day. A first fox run down 

 in an hour ; and a second escaping only, and almost 

 literally, by the skin of his eyes, at the end of forty-three 

 minutes — may be taken as leading facts that almost 

 speak for themselves. The former was a handsome 

 leat ; the latter was a brisker, smarter, event — having 

 no claim to great honour, but thorough sharp foxhunting 

 from a curious beginning to a luckless end (I am not 

 going to tell ; the fox is a dumb animal ; and the hunts- 

 man never flings his tongue rashly). 



The sport began at Thrussington Gorse (this year a 

 very fertile and fruitful spot). We had heard a dim 

 rumbling in covert — which might, or might not, have 

 meant a fox caught asleep. But this passed ; and the 

 huntsman's lona'-drawn note bade us move on to some 



