OLD FRIENDS. 185 



AVood comes in siirlit ; aiul IiouikIs race oft' for tlie wood 

 more quickly tliaii ever. To the one who plumbed the 

 depth of the well-edged water-course that eventually 

 becomes the Tilton Bottom, belonged all the pride of 

 place till the covert was reached. 



But here — at a little blind fence close to the wood — 

 Firr met with a iall that, while costing him dear in pain 

 and disappointment, is likely to involve quite an equal 

 cost upon his Master and field in the loss of his 

 invaluable services for at least ses'eral days. A rick to 

 his back (his weak point for years) made it necessary for 

 him to return home on wheels ; and his return to work 

 remains still in the future. If sympathy would cure, a 

 thousand well-wishers should help him to the saddle again. 

 The run in question went on, even prettily, for a long 

 while after — the IMaster giving the pack every chance of 

 killing their fox. And their fox was right among them 

 in Launde AVood — but a fresh one tempted them on, to 

 complete an eight-mile point near Prior's Coppice. 



Ash "Wednesday, 1884. 



That the Belvoir should have signalised Ash AYednes- 

 day with a gallop is less remarkable than had they 

 failed to do so. That the custom was carried out, the 

 proverb fulfilled, and the anniversary duly honoured, was 

 only in keeping with what M'e had all been taught to 

 expect and what so many had journeyed far to see. 

 From Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, 

 Nottinghamshire, Buckinghamshire, even from York- 

 shire, they had come to trip it in Leicestershire, as soon 



