COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 143 



November, 1877. — The meet was at Lundin station. 

 Drew the covert at Lundin, and did not find ; got a 

 line along the hedge outside the covert and ran down 

 to the sea ; turned to the west and ran hard through 

 Durie, and went to ground in a drain about two fields 

 to the north of the house, at the foot of a steep hill. 

 We bolted the fox by letting the water down from 

 the hill. Hounds got a rare start and ran hard up 

 to Torloisk ; ran right through the wood and through 

 Milldean Strips up to Rameldrie ; breasting the hill 

 it seemed as if he was going to Downfield. Then we 

 came to a bank with a wall on the top of it and a rail 

 running into it at right angles. My horse, who was 

 rather blown, turned round and jumped the rail, so I 

 was still on the wrong side. Meantime the hounds 

 had got down into Ramornie, and we could only hear 

 the cry, but not see them. They crossed Annfield 

 through Melville Woods and ran clean away from us. 

 After some time we got intelligence that they had 

 gone past Lindores, Dunbog and Glenduckie. We 

 persevered on the line, and the hounds came to us 

 when we had got within one field of the Tay. 

 Whether they had killed their fox or not we could 

 not tell, as they had been there long before us, and 

 it was now getting dark. 



Through some mistake I had only one horse out, 

 and he being tired. Bob Anstruther lent me his 

 second horse. It was something like twenty-four 

 miles from Charleton at the finish, and after leaving 

 the hounds at the kennel I had still seven miles to 

 go. When about three fields from home I was just 



