2i6 REMINISCENCES OF 



blood than would belong to a fox, and said, " Surely 

 they have killed a sheep ". I jumped off and smelt 

 the blood and it was not fox. After blowing for 

 some time, thirteen couple came to me, all from the 

 bottom of the hill. Jack Capel said to me, " I see 

 something at the bottom of the hill in a ditch ; it 

 looks like a dead fox." After pointing it out to me, 

 I said, "It's not a fox," and we started to scramble 

 down the hill. It was very steep and we had great 

 difficulty in getting down. We found " Matron " 

 dead, lying on her back, and her belly and legs 

 looked as if they had been riddled with shot. She 

 had been worried by the other hounds and the holes 

 were caused by the hounds' tushes. She was quite 

 stiff, and the hounds just put their noses under her 

 and turned the body over. Probably the fox had 

 got to ground about top of hill and "Matron" had 

 gone in after him, and they had all rolled down the 

 hill together fighting. For some days afterwards the 

 hounds were very unsettled and quarrelsome. 



I sent hounds home to Cowdenbeath with George 

 Palmer and Capel. I went and dined at Dron with 

 J. Richmond. Gordon drove me into Perth to catch 

 the night train. I slept at Edinburgh, and went on 

 to London next day. 



31st December, 1887. — From the Fife paper: — 

 " The Fife Hounds met at Largo on 14th Decem- 

 ber, and found in Pitmuir Hill. The fox started through 

 Kielsden and Balcormo Wood, and through a flock 

 of sheep, and on to Bonnyton Wood, crossed the 

 road south of Teasses Toll, the hounds rattling him 



