N1M ROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 67 



favour to accompany him ?" All I had to do, was to acknowledge 

 with thanks, the proffered kindness, and to ride on, as I was 

 engaged ; but there is no class of persons in whose habits, 

 pursuits, and welfare, I feel more interest in than in those of the 

 British yeoman a character truly said to be " known in no other 

 land," and 'without whom fox-hunting 'would be known in no 

 land. 



The Hirsel is the property of the Earl of Home, whom we saw 

 in the cover with his gun, in the use of which I understand he 

 excels. His costume was certainly the costume of the sports- 

 man, and, judging from that, and the sort of dog he had with 

 him, of the working sportsman, and not one of your battue 

 gentry, who have no claim to that honourable distinction, but 

 who only shoot for fame and name. The Hirsel is renowned in 

 history, being the ground on which the Scottish army camped on 

 crossing the Tweed, in the time of the first Charles, the daring, 

 but treacherous M on trose afterwards Lord Graham being the 

 first to plunge into the stream, and to set his foot upon the 

 English border. 



My engagement this day was to dinner at Dunse-castle, which 

 alone implies the passing of a pleasant evening. Mr. Hay him- 

 self was in great force, and we were delighted, ladies and all, by 

 some songs Mr. Campbell sang for us in the drawing-room, one 

 of which was " We have seen a run together" at my request. 

 "All the sounds that nature utters," says Cooper, the American 

 novelist, " are agreeable, from the gnat's fine treble to the bass 

 of the humble-bec,' ; but nothing equals the melody of the human 

 voice. To my ear, at least, the music of "the cornet, the 

 trumpet, the sackbut, the psaltery, and the harp," is but " har- 

 monious discord" to it ; and next to first-rate colloquial powers, 

 the being able and willing to sing well is the most pleasing 

 accomplishment in our nature. 



Promises have been compared to pie crusts, and vows, I fear, 

 are equally brittle. I had made a vow to myself not to be again 

 found in the same "yellow post-chaise" with Mr. Campbell at 

 all events, after dinner ; yet such was my situation this evening. 

 However, instead of having no coachman, as before, to handle 

 the same spicy pair of nags, we had two, as Sir David Baird 

 jumped into the dickey box, and laid hold of them. "You'll no 

 hit that bay horse, Sir David," cried Sawney, as the word " all 

 right" was sung out, when, as might be expected, Sir David 

 instantly gave him a flanker. Notwithstanding this, and a very 

 dark night, we arrived safe and sound at Dunse ; and although, 

 " Song on song had deceived the night/' not at a very late 

 Jhour. 



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