COQUET SIDE. 501 



let slip their burthen, and the " big rain comes dancing to the earth/' 

 streams, and hisses along the ground, and gushes into every hollow, 

 as if one vast water-spout had deluged the whole valley. By-and-by 

 the wind rises, and down the two glens which the eye commands, 

 you see the clouds of rain, driven by the gusts like tall columns, fol- 

 lowing each other impetuous, yet disciplined into divisions, until 

 at the angle where they meet they rush together, howling and com- 

 bating like demons in the regions of darkness. The discoloured 

 streams rise in a few minutes into torrents which it would be dan- 

 gerous to ford, a thousand new channels are formed in the mountain 

 side, and before the storm is past, the Coquet, from a pleasant pas- 

 toral river, has become a turbid torrent, foaming, eddying, tearing 

 away her banks, and whirling round every rock with frightful im- 

 petuosity. Such is a faint description of a thunder-storm among the 

 mountains. 



" Whoop ! Have at him ! down ! Mustard, damn ye, down ! ech 

 whow, Sirs ! but this is an even down pour!" Such are the sounds 

 that, with the yelping of dogs, the heavy tramp of feet, and quick 

 bursts of laughter, salute our ears ; and the next minute the whole 

 troop, dogs, men, and boys, tumble headlong into the old keep in 

 search of shelter ; they are fox-hunters who have been out among 

 the neighbouring hills. In half an hour the rain has abated ; we are 

 already on terms of perfect good fellowship with the sportsmen ; our 

 creel is transferred to the back of a boy, who is sent home with it, 

 and we have accepted an invitation to join in the sport, and stay a 

 few days among the hills with a jolly young farmer, who acts as 

 huntsman. We mention the cravings of our inner man, and are 

 answered by the rough borderer " Hunger, man ! ay, hunger's bad 

 to bide, but I'll shew ye a tod (fox) the noo that'll gar ye forget 

 there's sic a thing as hunger amang the hills. Ye maun tak a dram, 

 and wait or we win hame for mair sensible victual. Now, callants, 

 we maun try the Gulley Scaur, and if he's no there, he's not in 

 Coquet." A few brief directions are given by the huntsman, and 

 the party is presently scattered along the edges of the neighbouring 

 hills, each body having with them a greyhound (or grew, as it is 

 called here) or two to let slip at the fox should he pass near them, 

 two or three couple of fox-hounds, and half a dozen terriers of the 

 true pepper-and-mustard breed long bodies, covered with wiry, 

 dun or yellow hair, a white ring round their neck, and faces that 

 look as if they would grin at the very devil. How would one of the 

 " dwarfing city's pale abortions" stare to see those rough sturdy 

 dalesmen, drenched to the skin, and having been out since daylight, 

 still springing with unabated vigour from rock to rock, toiling up 

 the mountain side, and shouting incessantly to their companions from 

 height to height, as if their lungs were made of impenetrable steel, 

 and their muscles of adamant ! 



Chirp goes one of the hounds, and the huntsman slaps his sturdy 

 thigh, and cries, " Odd ! that is Teviot's tongue, and he never tauld a 

 lee that I ken o' Be canny now, be quiet now, hinnies ; to him 

 Teviot! to him, old dog !" Old Teviot vindicates his veracity; another 

 chirp another and another, and by-and-by his tale is corroborated 



M.M. No. 107. 3 T 



