NIMRO&S NORTHERN TOUR. 37 



handing his horse over the double fences in Berwickshire, with- 

 out taking much out of him in the exertion. 



Of Mr. M'Dowall Grant I have before spoken, and I have 

 only here to mention that himself and Lord Saltoun (he married 

 his Lordship's sister) kept house together in Dunse, and their 

 studs were partly supplied from their own- stables, and partly 

 from that of Mr. King of Edinburgh, from whom I had my 

 garrons. Mr. Grant is a fine horseman over a country and also 

 over a race course ; I should say about as quick a man over the 

 former as is to be found in most shires, and, what cannot be said 

 of all the quick ones I have seen and heard of, he will try to be 

 " with them " on any horse, good or bad, accounting three falls 

 in a run nothing, provided he gets to the end of it. He rides 

 light, with a very good hand and well steeled nerve, which every 

 man should have who rides straight over Berwickshire, as I shall 

 soon make apparent. 



But I have now a phenomenon to present to my readers at 

 least if I rightly comprehend the meaning and derivation of that 

 word. This is the to me most striking fact of as strong a 

 horseman as I have ever seen in a saddle, in the person of a man 

 weighing not more than nine stone, jockey weight ; and this 

 person is Mr. M'Kenzie Grieve, late of the Horse Guards Blue, 

 but now residing upon his property near Dunse, and of whom I 

 spoke before. But when I am here speaking of a strong horse- 

 man, don't let it be supposed that I am merely alluding to that 

 power of hand and seat which can restrain the race horse in his 

 course, but which in the difficulties that such a rider over a 

 country as Mr. Grieve is exposed to, have been found nine times 

 out of ten of no avail ; but I am alluding to that command of a 

 resisting force from the saddle which enables a man to recover 

 his horse from difficulties which appear perfectly insurmount- 

 able ; and likewise to be immovable from his seat as 1 shall 

 presently show is Mr. Grieve's case by the most violent and 

 unlooked-for shock that the body of a horse can encounter with- 

 out its being dashed to atoms. It might well be asked whence 

 the fulcrum from which this lever power is derived ? The 

 question would best be answered by an anatomical section of Mr. 

 Grieve's person, which, for a horseman, is perfect symmetry. He 

 has not only that length of fork which affords the clip, or gripe, 

 that renders him immovable from his seat, but he has the true 

 horseman's thigh, well hollowed out within, with strongly deve- 

 loped muscles without. Now having said this much in praise of 

 Mr. Grieve as a horseman, I wish I could continue in the same 

 strain of commendation of him as a rider to hounds ; but it 

 grieves me to say (excuse the wretched pun) he is too severe on 



