THE QUORN HOUNDS. "But if thou needs wilt hunt, be ruled by me: Or at the roe, which no encounter dare: Pursue these fearful creatures o'er the downs, And on thy well-breath'd horse keep with thy hounds." Venus and Adonis. "And now the Chase began with full cry, the dogs opened, the horns sounded, the huntsman halloo'd in so loud a consort that there was no hearing one another." Don Quixote. November 8.-Steward's Hay, a very good Forest day; a great deal of hard running, and extremely clever hunting; finding first at Willington rough; ran through Rathby burrows, turned to the right for Marsfield, and lost him after a capital hunting run of forty-five minutes. Found a second fox at Martin Shaw; gave a ring round the covert, then went away through Sheet Hedges, turned to the right, then to the left, through the Park, through Swithland wood, and stopped the hounds by Swithland Hall, after a capital thirty minutes. Nov. 10.-Rolleston Hall.-Found a brace of foxes at the gorse; went away gloriously to Nosely, back by Rolleston, New Inn, away over a splendid grass country to Norton. Three foxes were now on foot, and the hounds divided; ran down to Houghton brook, turned back down wind, when the scent became bad; hunted him back to Rolleston, by Nosely, and ran him to ground at New Inn.-Found two brace of foxes at Shankton Holt; killed one in the covert, and went home. Nov. 11.-Six Hills.-Found at Mundy's gorse; had a long hunting run, and lost him.-Found a second fox at Ella's gorse; ran through Mundig gorse, through Thrussington wolds, by Ragdale; left Thrussington village to the left, crossed the Foss road, bore to the right, through the wolds, then changed foxes, after forty-five minutes running at a brilliant pace.-Went away with a fresh fox; ran him one hour and five minutes, then stopped the hounds-a great many falls, and several horses beat. Nov. 14.-Kilby Wharf; an immense Meet, which will be included in the list of Fashionables I shall subjoin to my Diary.-Drew Foston gorse blank, and was on the point of trotting off in dudgeon to the next nearest covert, when up jumped sly reynard in a turnip-field; laid the hounds on the scent, and away they went at a racing pace; left Bruntingthorpe to the right, Walton Holt to the left, straight to Sibbertoft-first check, 50 minutes over a most beautiful grass country, with no horrid intervening plough. Here a fresh fox was on foot out of Mr. George Payne's plantations at Sulby: hunted him back nearly to Bosworth, and lost, after a most splendid run indeed-Lord Gardner, Mr. Greene (the Master), Mr. Smith of Leicester, and Day, the Huntsman, being about the only persons with the hounds the greater part of it, Lord Gardner certainly having the best of it. Indeed, in the ardor and excitement of the sport, His Lordship actually jumped into a river, but not being quite such a follower of Aristotle as to wish to go in search of his shade in this modern Euripus, he scrambled out minus a stirrup, which he soon got replaced, no doubt doing honor afterwards to the day in a stirrup-cup of mulled cardinal in the evening. I fancy they want to mull all the Ladies, as cardinal cloaks are all the go just now!-Found again in Bosworth gorse; went away by Bosworth, Theddingworth, and stopped the hounds at Marston after another very satisfactory run. Nov. 15.-Quorndon House.-Found at Swithland wood; had a first-rate Forest day; stopped the hounds going into Bardon wood, after three hours and twenty minutes very good hunting running. Nov. 17.-Barkby Hall.-Found immediately at Barkby Holt; went away at a tremendous pace for Barkby Thorpe; turned to the left for Scraptoft, pointing for Houghton; turned to the left for Stoughton, when, if it had been a battue instead of a for-chase, it would have been most delightful; but as it was, messieurs the pheasants, hares, and rabbits were de trop with a witness, literally swarming in every direction; consequently came to a check after a magnificent run of forty minutes.Went on to Norton gorse, when, by Diana! got on the same fox again; went away by Norton and Galby spinnies, back to the gorse, away nearly to Ilston, and killed at Norton, a very large old dog fox, so stiff when dead that he stood perfectly upright. The first forty minutes was complete racing without the shadow of a check, being admitted the finest thing from Barkby Holt for the last five-andtwenty years, the abovementioned Nimrods, with others of equal nerve, going it like bricks! Nov. 18.-Widmerpool Inn.-Found three foxes at the Curate's gorse; went away by the Parson's gorse, into the Vale, leaving Eckling village to the right, Kinoulton to the right, through Rowhoe, down to Widmerpool village, and lost, after running for thirty-five minutes. Found a second fox at Willoughby gorse; went away by Widmerpool village, bore to the left as if going for Bunney, left Round Hill gorse to the left, Stanton to the right, Normanton to the left, by Wynnstay gorse; and it is worthy of remark, that on the second day of the present Sir W. W. Wynn's debut in Leicestershire, the hounds should run to the covert made and named by his father forty years ago, to which rather singular coincidence the courteous Master of the Hounds called the Baronet's attention, congratulating him in thus treading so worthily in his father's steps by patronising this fine and unique country. -Stopped the hounds going into Owthorpe plantations, after one hour and five minutes very good hunting run. Nov. 21-Kibworth.-Found at Gumley wood the moment the hounds were put in; went away fast for Laughton hills, pointing for Bosworth gorse; turned to the right for Mousley, where he was headed, and coursed by a brute of a cur-nothing more to be done with him therefore. Found a second fox at Laughton hills; went away beautifully over the Vale, leaving Theddingworth to the right; bore to the left down the valley, leaving Marston wood on the right, Clipston to the left, over a magnificent line of country, and ran him to ground at Kelmarsh, after a capital run of fifty minutes. All the foxes found about Laughton hills are remarkably good-'uns, going straight away instanter, and generally affording good sport. Nov. 22.-Grooby.-Nothing to be done in consequence of a heavy fall of snow. Men began to tremble for an early frost: the weatherwise were consulted, and venerable shepherds shook their heads prophetically at the desponding chasseurs. But their fears were all moonshine, for next morning the Earth had completely flung her snowy veil aside, and appeared in all her verdant freshness. Nov. 24.-Keythorpe.-Found at Keythorpe wood; went away at a capital pace for Tugby, where he was headed; came back through the wood, through Staunton wood, through Glooston wood, up to Goadby; turned to the left by the brook, where he was killed after one hour and ten minutes. Found a second fox at the Hardwicks; went through Shankton Holt, turned to the left, through Nosely wood, through the plantations to Rolleston gorse, where the hounds getting on a stale scent, gave him up, after running him thirty minutes. While the hounds were in the gorse, another fine fresh fox came out of the plantations, took the water instantly, and swam across the widest part, perhaps nearly two hundred yards; got out, shook himself in a most self-congratulatory manner, and bolted straight for Billesdon Coplow, where requiescat in pace until he is wanted! Nov. 25.-Bunney.-Found plenty of foxes, but the elements were adverse to our harmless intention of destroying the vermin, being wet and stormy, and therefore left Boreas alone in his glory, and came home. Nov. 28.-Blaston Pasture.-Found at Easton Park; went away through Drayton wood, over Blaston pasture, by Blaston earths, leaving Stockerston wood to the right; bore to the left through Blaston village, by Holt, through Easton Park, then turned to the right, and killed him in Holt wood, after a very good hunting run indeed of one hour and forty minutes.-Found a second fox at Vowe's gorse (a stanch preserver), but the scent becoming very indifferent, did very little with him. Nov. 29.-Beaumanor.-Found at Beacon's piece; went away very fast; ran him for forty minutes over the Forest, and killed.-Found a second fox at the Out-woods; ran him briskly for one hour to ground. -Found a third fox at Benscliffe; ran a ring or two round the covert, then went away through Sandhills, leaving Newton to the left (where its namesake Sir Isaac often left many), through Steward's Hay, and lost him, after a nice run of fifty minutes. Dec. 1.-Great Dalby; the largest Meet of the season.-Found at Gartree hill; went away over a very fine grass country; but the scent being far from good, gave hime up.-Found a second fox at Sir F. Goodricke's gorse; went away over Burrow hills, leaving Somerby to the right, and lost at Leasthorpe.-Found a third fox at Thorpe Trussels; went away at a slapping pace, leaving Ashby to the right, over the brook, straight to Baggrave, where he went to ground, after a good run of thirty minutes. Dec. 2.-Owthorpe, Notts.-Found a bad fox, and did not do much with him.-Found a second fox at the Curate's gorse, not a much better one; ran him for twenty-five minutes, and killed. Upon the whole a very satisfactory diary of sport. The next GREAT quality the Quorn Hounds possess, after their speed, which is wonderful, is the extraordinary faculty they have of threading the horses' legs, following up the scent amidst a crowd and confusion that must be witnessed to be believed-never being diverted from their object, however frequently the scent may be crossed by horsemen or pedestrians, or however often they have to turn, which they do with astonishing celerity. It really is remarkable to observe their steady perseverance and business-like demeanor during this arduous process. The humors of the "Field" are at times truly ludicrous-Nobles and plebs wallowing and floundering pell-mell with their horses on the green sward, which, luckily for them, is both soft and yielding. Many a Nimrod, still safe on the back of his Bucephalus, may then (I do not mean to be profane mind!) thank God that he is not as other men, nor even as that PUBLICAN-a well-known Sportsman, who got an awful rattler a short time ago, being supposed to be actually killed; on which occasion one Noble Levite observed to another, "By Jove! he's as dead as a nit! Well, we can do no good, so let's be off, or we shall lose the hounds?" But a good Samaritan of an Irishman, thinking "the boy was not clane kilt quite intirely," popped a flash of raal mountain-dew to his lips, when in a twinkling he opened his eyes, shook himself, and in five minutes was riding after the hounds harder than ever, to the great surprise of all who did not know Paddy's magic secret for effecting this Publicanus Redidivus. At Melton, there are the Earl and Countess of Wilton, Lord William Beresford, Colonel and Mrs. Wyndham, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver, Sir James Musgrave, Sir W. W. Wynn, Moore, Coke, Gilmour, Lovell, Surtees, and Palk, Esqrs. Lord Maidstone and Colonel and Mrs. Anson, were also there last week. In fact, it never was so full of visitors previously to Christmas any season before. At Leicester, there are Lords Gardner and Macdonald, Count Bathyany, and several Gentlemen to whose names I am yet a stranger. I must not forget to mention that Mr. Crawford is also at Melton with a matchless stud. Mr. and Mrs. Rowland Errington are at Newnham Paddocks, near Lutterworth. Mr. and Mrs. Stracy are at Thurnby, near Leicester. Sir Walter Carew is said to have taken Baggrave Hall for the season, where he and Lady Carew are daily expected. Other hunting places are wanting. Leicestershire, Dec. 9, 1842. CLIO. |