The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-07 00:00:00

HMV TING IN LEICESTERSIIIRI

limiting prospects assumed a more "rosy" hug
after the rain came down, but the frost has spoiled
all that for the present. Matters looked very bed
for want of moisture until Saturday, the 30th. °Li
November 20th the Belvoir met at Goadby, a little
village near Piperhol::.,, which contains a church, 3
parsonage, not quite half-a-dozen cottages, and 3
fox covert. The latter is rather a difficult place t°
get away from, as there is a large, or rather a long:
fish pool in the middle of it ; the ways round and
across being, to people who know them, easy enough
and to people who don't, a problem almost imps;
sible to solve. There seems to be no lying or nel
to none in the convert, but there is usually a f°lt
it; ra
and there are also strong earths, so the Quern
know to their cost, being frequently discoinfitetcl
thereby, when they get hold of a Belvoir fox, a°
think catching time is about arrived. The beauty,
steadiness, andgeneral efficiency of the Belvoir
is too well known to call for remark. They arell
the flags almost, if not quite, the most beautiful
hounds in the world ; in the field, too, they are, es.-
pecially on a bad scent, the fastest hounds in 1"6"
cestershire, and their one fault, muteness, is bweiehge
rapidly eradicated by judicious breeding. -I:he
establishment is not famed for punctuality at "
meet, indeed, it was considerably past 11 o'uleeve
when the pack arrived at Goadby ; but when aril g
is once made, no further time is lost, either in Vie
co draw, drawing for, or running their fox. of
The first draw on the occasion now in course,i
description was the covert before menti°l3'-d'
Goadby fishponds. Though, as has been remarkeri
there seemed no holding for a fox, a fox was Tee
soon away from it. One found it would, of collie
he quite impossible for the most cunning of tat
species Vulpes to hang there. The hounds were °0
of covert the instant Cooper's horn and halloa Wids
'
heard, and set to work running over the dry t
and driving, and getting forward with a bad seen
in a manner peculiar to themselves; and especially
worthy of imitation by other packs. The field helao;
small they had plenty of time, and room ; and raj
on assisted by a halloa past Scalford
leaving Waltham on the left up to Breatiure
when they got up to their fox and killed him. Tielloci
about 35 minutes—a fine instance of what a Out,
huntsman and perfect pack can do with a bad sese,
and a good fox. They went back to Goadby fOre.
near the morning's fixture ; but contrary to elPe„,
tation, and indeed, to custom, this was a 81au.0,0
good reason was given for this contretemps;
dogs having had a private day's rabbit hill:1°1'0d
it, all to themselves the day before, the foxes ith
naturally taken exception at this interference '.lllle,
their exclusive rights, and left their home fora tie
So Croxton Lings was the word. This is as °ao;
gorse covert as ever gladdened the eye of a sports
tits,
and the hounds had been in it but a very few mottled of
before the notes of the ladies, lustily ohcere tf
their huntsman, who appeared to have the fee ro.
of being in every part of the gorse at once' 1300,1
claimed that the covert had sustained its e'fo
character for infallibility. In half no time soil,
appeared, in air, as he jumped over the Peric
and sailed down the far-famed Croxtoe tha
Before he was well away, and almost beforethe t
spectators had thought it safe to hollow, r,
appeared and did exactly the same thing, re eOOO
a course parallel to that of the first fox, but sof
50 yards to the left of it. The hounds were
~30
with their usual promptitude, and ran the left'f' the
fox heavily down to a covert in the middle
park, where they disturbed from his lair 3 woof
who topped the wall out of covert in eteille
artistic form.

On the other side of the wood the fox was bL not
and probably rather disappointed, or 110 uletAt 011
have been a very bold one to begin with. bete,
events he retraced his steps to the Lings,
however, he found there was no rest for hir'o
he had to fly again. This time he went tovvoooo
VValtham, then turned to the right, along bet,
coverts on the side of a hill, then away at thewbere
torn towards a village called Braunstone, near, A
the hounds marked him to ground in a drelPthall
terrier dog was forthcoming, which is OW 00
they usually are when wanted, and he beltecied
fox ; more, again, than they always sncebeetao
doing when they are forthcoming. The nail for
gave him a start of a field, then ran Inni "tea °'
some ten minutes, and badly for perhaP94 tll°l
twelve more towards Eastwell, and near the'
lost him.
, tia
On Friday, the 22nd, the Quorn eghe'
desbury. Ground harder than ever, and ecres°
fields in a state that reminded one of .APrit • °ll
Gorse was the first draw, and a fox was spedtog";
foot, and lost no time in making up his colt' asap
He was viewed away, and the hounds fieldscatu
pretty quickly to the halloa, but the first tiV
soloe'
were very dry ploughs, and the hounds were ovef
n3sue 0
what pressed upon, so no great way was - the 1,5 w
them. A halloa forward on the grass se" 1,,51P),
rolling, and the pace became good. Leaving ll ialb
Pasture on the left, they ran over an un de
00.senA19/
stiff line, down to Gaddesbury, and on, the
onlywas hais
cub when
hbeuht his heart hweeahrtt failed him inlanisbh etittloe
back, and sought shelter in a drain by Bole
to
vile. So back to Ashby Pasture ; the firs„ Releasee
Nimrod's never-to-be-forgotten QuarTto 1°
run," and a fox was on foot quickly euunr boat th
e,
the most impatient. He ran round and sfor 005
covert, which is a tolerably sized Wued'At leogre
time, before he could make up his mind. and Oleo
he went away towards Melton,coe ce,4
seemed to be a scent as the hounds
were daehog
of covert, but all hopes of a gallop elds,
to the ground at the end of two
e,P•got ill it
the fox had, to the disgust of every ell bettet'ip
another drain, where he was left, to run vasoe,,o
is to be hoped, another day. Then Th°_l.l?„ strai_grvoe
afforded a third fox, but he was not a "sidbie earl)
going one, and the scent was, if Pes_ bit'll) for
since the morning. He shaped his cour 0 ;jot be
Sackville, nearly to Twyford, then to thte wher!
of
Ashby Folville, and so back to the see.n_ 'friend'
was lost, having probably got, like his
the morning, into some hole.
t Barroo'
On Saturday Mr. Tailby's met 3 fO% ;of
ground was harder than ever, but withßible
from Ranksborough Gorse, it is imPfeod
rider not to ride. The first fox vies..,erby tessoteo•
Punchbowl, and went away by $(31jei,,,,, pia
Owston, and was lost after some 1111.1 fog Abe
Then came Ranksborough GorsG, and sing.
a
of it, at the bottom, with very little .Pr
10
with _
hounds got away on good terms over ,b Pte
bard, leaving Laugh= on the ~„whert74te,
of Leicestershire, up to, Barleythor
and IN, tip
u'ot,
• ea
killed him. Twenty minutes, read than Lo
Another fox, from Overton Park
ing to the left, went by Launde, purP-
dington, and beat them after a I°'"' 41.0 it
00
hard day for horses. were at Vir,"'
Monday, the 25th, the Quorn blall7,'ofolcel
Stone-pits. Brudenell's Gorse lsri
Lord
;ie,
Ealby Wood. They found in
to Sag Gr°r,i'
covert, and ran by Schoby Schole_s_ssiatoa_eoillfti
lost. Then they found again in (-I„'s by o_lo3 lecb
and ran pretty well for 35 mini,u,en; never
ton and lloby, and lost him. -11-,11c.!,. begs'll;„troastd yria: Yl3O O:ft,
satospcpeendt.huOntningWoendtnheesdrrahyuraso,y,
010g...0
Saturday and Sunday it rained na
rato Iln"tpolat.st
expected anything short of first- were cli'L.ll.4
1.1‘3ir071,
nt t 9
then on Monday. Sportsillen, ring Sa.',l ,itIJ
however, as it froze so hard a, 1-1
,nnessin_ iitije
that hunting on the Monday eonle',,, to or
o
frost, too, looks like lasting,
disagreeable a,liich it
la oel'
the nenioolui
0;
rtaew
ctshte,
days. 1 Lope that my idea
of
to be 0'
taken one, and shall be delig
,ba:dtti:lll;:aciriPtlfti
fain prophet.—Land and Water.