114 REMINISCENCES OF 



o'clock, and seldom has such a field been seen in Fife 

 as assembled this day to do honour to the Forfar- 

 shire visitors. Most hunting men know Captain 

 Carnegy of Lour by reputation — the popular Master 

 of the Forfarshire Hounds — and some, not many 

 years ago, have seen him sailing over those grand 

 Northamptonshire pastures. * Who is that man ? ' 

 was the inquiry I made — well, no matter how many 

 years ago — when walking down St. James's Street one 

 day with a military friend. ' Oh, don't you know ! — 

 that is Jimmy Rait, of the 15th, the finest horseman 

 in England.' A hard-bitten lot were those 15th in 

 days of yore ; and as we see him to-day, erect and 

 firm in the saddle as ever, it is evident that time has 

 dealt very tenderly with Colonel Rait of Anniston. 



" The Carnegie family were well represented, 

 for, besides the Master, we noticed Lord Carnegie, 

 Captain Lindsay Carnegie of Kinblethmont and Mr. 

 Claud Carnegie, Mr. Bruce Gardyne of Middleton, 

 with several others whose names we did not ascer- 

 tain. Colonel Thomson of Charleton, of course, was 

 at the head of a strong^ Fife brigade. ' There will 

 be some hard riding at Dairsie,' was a remark I 

 heard more than once during the last few days ; and 

 any one who knows Forfarshire men is well aware 

 that they will not forego the pride of place if they 

 can help it, but there will be no jealousy in the 

 unapproved sense of \he term. 



" The first covert drawn was Nydie, and a fox was 

 found amongst the quarries on the hill. He breaks 

 away to the south, but is either headed or changes 



