1 14 NIM ROD'S NORTHERN TO UR. 



his Grace sacrifices his pleasures to the multifarious duties of 

 his station to a degree that perhaps might scarcely be credited 

 in a person at his age, and also so fond of hounds. In fact, no 

 man works harder than the Duke of Buccleuch ; but it appears 

 Horace was right when he said 



" Nil sine magno 



Vila labore dedit mortalibus. " 



Two circumstances in the course of this run call for a remark 

 one relating to the hounds, the other to their huntsman, and to 

 which I have already slightly alluded. Towards the end of this fine 

 run it was my good fortune to get alongside the pack, for about 

 a mile, in a narrow valley, when they went their very best pace, 

 with a breast-high scent, over fine old grass. But they did not 

 carry a head ; on the contrary, they tailed, as the term is, to a 

 more than usual degree. My only remark to Williamson when 

 we neared each other in the chase was" Did you see those 

 young Merlin hounds at head ?" to which he nodded assent ; but 

 at a subsequent meeting in the field the following conversation 

 took place between us : 



Nimrod. Your "hounds did a good day's work on Wednesday, 

 with that brace of foxes. 



Williamson. They surely did. They worked very hard in 

 the first whin, and it was very hot for them all that time in cover. 



Nimrod. It told upon them ; for they were somewhat blown 

 where the scent was so good over the grass in the valley. 



Williamson. Wall, do you know, sir (emphatically), / was- 

 thinking yon would be of that opinion ; but I will tell you what it 

 was. You noticed those young Merlin hounds out of Countess 

 and Lucy, at head. .Wall depend upon it, the old hounds rather 

 mistrusted them. 



Now my real motive for discussing this subject with William- 

 son was a desire to hear from his own lips, and in his peculiar 

 manner, what excuse he would offer for an apparent Deficiency of 

 either wind or power, and my readers will agree with me that a 

 better concocted one, at a pinch, could not have been produced 

 by a huntsman. But who can blame a man for being jealous of 

 the reputation of a system he has laboured to bring to perfection ; 

 and if I were to enumerate all the apologies for hounds that my 

 recollection would furnish me with for foxes " lost or mislaid" 

 they would form a long catalogue. Some of them, too, would 

 amuse : as for example. " Who-whoop," holloaed one of our 

 oldest, best, and cheeriest English gentlemen-huntsmen now 

 going as his hounds threw up at the end of a brilliant burst, 



