12 REMINISCENCES OE 



lent me a pony on Saturday afternoons, and I used 

 to ride down there to see them. 



Mr. Dyer was too fine a gentleman for his posi- 

 tion. He used to go out riding on a very good- 

 looking horse, called " Luck's All," which he hired 

 from Tom King. While I was still there, he was 

 arrested for debt and put into prison on the Calton 

 Hill. 



I walked over to Barnton one afternoon and saw 

 Mr. Ramsay's hounds. Kit Scott, huntsman, Tom 

 Rintoul and Jim Harrison, whips. One day we 

 went to Craigleith Quarry. It was hard frost and a 

 little snow. I was on the ice. One of the fellows 

 threw a stone at me. I was stooping to pick it up 

 off the ice, when plop I went in up to my chin. 

 The ice kept breaking in front of me, but I kept 

 wobbling on till I suppose I touched the bottom, 

 when I jumped out and ran home. It was beastly 

 cold, but I tumbled into bed and was none the worse 

 of it. 



Part of the time at the Academy, John Shairp 

 (Principal of St. Andrews) was next me in school. 

 He was as keen about hunting as I was. Our school- 

 books were full of pictures of horses. 



The Christies of Durie were also at the Academy. 

 Jim used to ride a fine horse of his father's called 

 "Partner," and they had a pony called "Fidget". 

 During the holidays they were at Charleton, or I 

 was at Durie nearly every day, and we used to gallop 

 all the way along the links and jump the ditches. No 

 wire in those days. 



