ii8 REMINISCENCES OF 



assault ; but Hastings insisted, and Sloane said, 

 "I'll go if you let me get my jacket," and went 

 upstairs, and not coming back Fred Whitehall said, 

 "I'll bet he jumped out of the window". It was 

 only nine or ten feet high. 



In the middle of the night Sloane went to old 

 David's house and made him let him in, and slept 

 there till daylight and then disappeared. He was 

 found by the police the following evening asleep 

 on the side of the road near Burntisland, nearly 

 thirty miles from the kennels. He was brought 

 before Sheriff Beatson Bell, who said, " This is a 

 very serious offence," and sentenced him to forty days 

 imthout hard labour. He was let off very easy, and 

 deserved six months. I learned afterwards that as 

 soon as the hounds had gone out he caught one of 

 the old dog horses in the kennel field, rode it down 

 to the village, got drunk, and brought a bottle back 

 with him. 



A very hard winter ; stopped from 7 th December 

 to 7th January. 



Snow Hunts. — Hunted seven times in the snow, 

 and killed four foxes. 



The destruction of lambs was awful this year. 

 Guild, Lindores, 15 ; John Bell, Stenton. 4 ; Edmon- 

 stone, Lindefarm, 15; Hardie, Nydie, 15; Hill, 

 Kenly, 2 or 3 ; Mitchell, Hiskmiln, 4. A nice old 

 Highlander said, " He find the flavour of them in 

 the mornin* ". 



Season commenced 26th September, 1873 ; 

 ended 6th April, 1874. Hunting days, seventy; 



