14 REMINISCENCES OF 



I had a capital pony called "Tom Pipes," the 

 picture of a little hunter. Mr. Melville had a 

 beautiful black horse ; Jimmy Rait had a black 

 thorough-bred called "Cholera Morbus," and a cut 

 whip " to bring the hind quarters over ". Campbell 

 of Saddell was also out. They ran all day in the 

 woods at King's Muir, and while hounds were 

 running in covert, Saddell sang " Arouse, boys, 

 arouse". 



About this time Sir Henry Bethune of Kilcon- 

 quhar came to reside at home. He was Com- 

 mander-in-Chief of the Persian army, and had the 

 power of life and death in that country. He was a 

 grand man, standing six feet five inches in height, 

 very handsome, with the most courteous manners. 

 He had a falconer and several falcons. It was a 

 most interesting sport. 



The falconers had an old setter dog which hunted 

 till he found a covey of partridges. The falconer 

 then threw off a hawk, which rose in circles till very 

 high, then hovered above the dog. The dog looked 

 up to see if the hawk was ready, and then ran in and 

 roused the birds. Swoop went the hawk. If he 

 missed, the birds generally went into a hedge, and 

 the hawk soared again and hovered over the birds. 

 The old dog then went off after them and got another 

 point. If the hawk killed its bird the falconer went 

 gently to it and picked it up. If not, he had to fetch 

 the hawk with the lure, a dummy bird with a bit of 

 pigeon on it. He called the hawk " Killy, Killy, 

 Voiyooh," a sort of view-halloo, and hurled the lure 



