NIMROIfS NORTHERN TOUR. 101 



apparent satisfaction took place between them at the different 

 periods of their meeting at the cover side. 



First period. Williamson speaks. 



"Not a bad-looking rough "beast that of yours. What age 

 is he?" 



The Captain. " Six years old." 



Williamson. " Wall I shouldn't mind giving you thirty 

 pounds for him, that is to say if you can warrant him sound, 

 and quite free from fault. 



The Captain. (Enjoying the joke.) " I don't want to sell him 

 just yet." The fact is, that though " the grey" was then out of 

 condition, he proved to possess all those good qualities of a 

 hunter that Williamson's keen eye anticipated. 



Williamson. " Wall, wall ; perhaps you may alter your 

 mind." 



Second period. Williamson speaks : " Wall, you have not 

 sold the grey horse. He looks nothing worse since I saw him 

 last. Indeed, I think he's something better. I shouldn't mind 

 giving you forty pounds for him, that is to say, if you can warrant 

 him sound, and quite free from fault." 



The Captain. " I do not intend to sell him yet." 



Third period. Previously to this, Williamson had found out 

 the error he had fallen into, and the dialogue is resumed in an 

 altered tone. 



Williamson. " I have many apologies to make to you, sir, 

 for the le-berty I took in asking you to sell your horse. I was 

 not aware whom I had the honour of speaking to ; but (still try- 

 ing it on) I think you did quite right in refusing my ffty pounds 

 for him." (Observe, forty was the maximum sum offered.) 



Fourth period. " Wall, captain your horse is vary much im- 

 proved. Perhaps you may be going to sea again ; if you do, I 

 shall be glad to give you saxty pounds for him." 



The next subject we discussed was that of the annual expense 

 of a pack of fox-hounds, and which was rendered more interest- 

 ing to me from a knowledge of the fact of Williamson having 

 made public a statement of the disbursements under each sepa- 

 rate head of the Lothian 'hounds, previously to their becoming 

 the property of the Duke of Buccleuch, for a period of seven 

 years namely, from August, 1814, to August, 1821, the average 

 amount of which was ^988 IDS. id. for a three times-a-week 

 country. The average annual keep of the hounds price of meal 

 "varying from ^,88 to ,153 per annum during the period was 

 . 1 93- Of horse flesh, from ij to 52. Of keep of horses, 

 ^377 ; the residue of the sum total being disbursed in the wages 

 and clothing of servants, earth-stopping, and other incidental 



