NIMROHS NORTHERN TOUR. 131 



Having made my bow to the Duke of Buccleuch, and returned 

 his Grace thanks for again sending me one of his own favourite 

 horses (the Bishop), I proceeded to pay my respects to my other 

 numerous friends. I am sorry, however, it is not in my power 

 to give an interesting description of this day's sport, for although 

 a good run was very generally looked for, from the notoriety of 

 the cover, in addition to the " skyey influences" being apparently 

 in favour of it, we were not in luck's way. Our first fox went 

 gallantly away, but having been coursed by a dog he met on a 

 moor, he was driven from his point, ran short, and was eventually 

 killed in the village of Greenlaw, having laid down in the minis- 

 ter's garden. The powers of these animals, however, as well of 

 the fox-hound, were displayed on this occasion. On jumping up 

 in view, in the garden, he crossed the road and sprang at a wall 

 certainly not less than eight feet in height, the top of which he 

 succeeded in gaining, as also did one of the hounds. It was the 

 most extraordinary feat of this description I ever beheld, but it 

 availed him nothing, as he was pulled down by the pack in the 

 very next field. 



I witnessed a ludicrous scene on the first breaking cover by 

 this fox. Having an eye to Williamson, I followed him to a gate 

 out of the road, which led into the field over which the pack were 

 streaming away, with apparently a breast-high scent, and which 

 gate the duke was in the act of opening. " Will it do, your 

 Grace ? Can we get across it ?" I could hear Williamson say, 

 in somewhat a doubtful tone. " We'll try it," replied the duke, 

 and away we went to the number of about half a dozen, all the 

 rest of this large field having branched off to the right or to the 

 left of the line in which the chase lay. This " it" proved to be a 

 black bog, about twenty yards in width, which I was afterwards 

 given to understand had never before been crossed by horsemen, 

 at all events not in the winter months. The duke and his hunts- 

 man, however, got through it without being dismounted, but such 

 was not my case, nor that of Frank Collison, who preceded me, 

 by reason of our being obliged to go a few yards to the left of 

 the spot over which our leaders had passed. But the reason for 

 this was rather an extraordinary one. Four heavy cart colts 

 alarmed by the cry of the pack, rushed headlong although ap- 

 proaching it from the opposite direction into the pass which 

 we were about to attempt, and all fell down together in a cluster, 

 one sticking by the hinder quarters, another with his head in the 

 bog, and one struggling upon his back with his heels capering in 

 the air. As for myself, I escaped pretty well, my only alarm 

 being for the fate of my horse, it being at one time doubtful 

 whether he would be able to struggle out of his difficulties ; but 



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