N1MRODS NORTHERN TOUR. 145 



the kennel department, and an excellent servant throughout. 

 He is a Yorkshireman, as his tongue proclaims ; and was brought 

 up in the racing stables of Sir William Maxwell, and now, as he 

 himself says, " walks fourteen stone upon the same legs that 

 carried him when he rode exercise in Sir William's service." Al- 

 though, as I have already said of him, an excellent servant, he 

 is not the most polished of his caste. Neither do I suppose, by 

 the orthography displayed in the list of his hounds, that the 

 schoolmaster had been " abroad" in his younger days ; but what 

 was the printer of Falkirk about to let such a list go forth to the 

 world? I can only accountfor it by his taking forgranted that we fox- 

 hunters have an orthography of our own.* However, to business. 



The fixture on this Saturday (the 6th) was Ormiston-hill, 

 about twelve miles from Edinburgh, on the Glasgow road, and, 

 as I was informed by Mr. Ramsay, a sure find. Being anxious 

 then to have a sight of the hounds previous to their being thrown 

 Into cover, as well as to have a word with " old Scott," I took 

 time by the forelock, and came up with them about three miles 

 short of it. I first took the measure of Scott with my eye before 

 I ventured to ride alongside him, and found him exactly what 1 

 had conceived him to be rather over-topped, as we say in the 

 stable, but not looking much amiss in his saddle ; with a ruddy, 

 but healthy looking face, and somewhat of an intellectual eye. 

 This being accomplished, I ventured to address him, and the 

 dialogue, as will be imagined, was not much amiss. 



Nimrod. " A bad morning for hounds I fear." (It was blowing 

 something like a hurricane.) 



Scott. "Yes" the word yes sounding very much like the 

 German word yau, which also is opposed to negative ; at the 

 same time throwing his eye over me with a look (I was not in 

 scarlet) which as much as said "What the devil do you know 

 about a bad morning for hounds." 



Nimrod. You have got some powerful hounds here, Mr. Scott. 



Scott. " Yes" (or rather yau, again) ; at the same time singing 

 out, " Ware horse, Belmaid,t (one of the finest bitches in the 

 pack by-the-by) what do you do under horse's feet, eh ?" 



Nimrod. Are those Mr. Ramsay's horses that are forward on 

 the road ? 



Scott Yes. 



* As in these days of " Schoolmasters abroad" we don't often meet 

 with such specimens, I subjoin the following : Prosopene, Barroness, 

 Willin, Breuser. Matchom, Streacher, Mamlock (for Mameluke, I pre- 

 sume). What Vilo means I am unable to guess ; were it not the name 

 of a bitch, I should have taken it for Filho (da Puta). 



t Alias Zte//maid. Vide List. 



10 



