HEAKSAY. 157 



avoiding (i. e. the people) the difficulties of the North- 

 Western line, they then followed the Burton Lane — 

 hounds taking the strongly enclosed meadows on the left^ 

 people the deep muddy cart track, till they reached the 

 Melton and Oakham road about the site of the Old 

 Burton tollbar. I should have mentioned that their fox 

 had held not more than a hundred-and-fifty yards lead as 

 he re-entered Ashby Pastures ; and he maintained about 

 the same relative position at the point last-named. But 

 he was by no means killed yet. He kept straight 

 forward over the road, across the great grass fields and 

 the river into jMr. Burbage's Covert, found the thick 

 blackthorn too stifling to breathe in, so cut through the 

 corner of it at once, re-swam the river, and struggled on 

 for Stapleford. A forward view ahowed huntsmen and 

 riders generally to cross the angle without nearing the 

 ford ; and now it became only a question of avoiding a 

 change to ensure a speedy kill. (More times than I like 

 to remember have I known a beaten fox left for a fresh 

 one on this Burton Flat). As nearly as possible would 

 the dreaded change appear to have happened as the 

 chase passed Mr. Hartopp's " white-rabbit " spinney, by 

 the road side. Hounds diverged on to a crossline, just 

 as the whip had his cap up on the sinking fox ; Mr. 

 Coupland made light of two deep fallows to get at their 

 heads ; they swung sharply to the horn, and next minute 

 were hard after their fox into Laxton's Covert. A 

 minute or two more hither and thither, through the 

 covert, then a moment's dead silence, then a sudden 

 crashing chorus and the welcome wlio-ivhooj^ over a fox 



