145 NIMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 



Nimrod. I am going to ride one of them to-day. 



Scott. (With a slight touch of his cap.) Oh, you be Mr. 

 Appleby, be you ? Glad to see you, sir ; I've heard talk of you. 

 You have been to see Lord Kintore, haven't you ? 



Nimrod. Not yet ; but intend doing so soon. 



Scott. A very quick man in the kennel, that Lord Kintore ? 



Nimrod. Yes, and out of it, too. 



Scott here alluded to his lordship's uncommon facility of 

 knowing the names of hounds, after having once seen them drawn 

 to the feeding troughs. Walker told mehe knew every one, save one, 

 of the South Wold pack when he drew them for his inspection. 



This reminds me of two anecdotes. A major of a crack regi- 

 ment once asked Mr. Assheton Smith how he managed to 

 remember the names of all his hounds. " Pray, sir," replied 

 Mr. S., " don't you know the names of all your men ?" A quon- 

 dam master of fox-hounds, however, never could acquire a know- 

 ledge of more than a few couples of his kennel, saying " How 

 is it possible to know them all ? When I look at a hound on 

 one side I find three spots ; but if he turns the other to me I 

 find five." Some brothers and sisters, however, are sometimes 

 so much alike that it even puzzles their owners to distinguish 

 them, as in the case with Dragsman and Dragman in Lord Kin- 

 tore's kennel. I observed his lordship always looked at their 

 legs before he drew them to the trough, one not being quite so 

 straight at the knee as the other. Huntsmen also distinguish, in 

 great part, by the countenance, as shepherds do sheep. 



In ten minutes more we were at the place of meeting, where a 

 sufficiently numerous field were got together ; and although a 

 stranger to Mr. Ramsay I was instantly set at my ease by his 

 approaching me with outstretched hand, and telling me he was 

 happy to see me with his hounds. He then apologized for not 

 having sent for me quite the horse he wished to send, in conse- 

 quence of his stable having gone wrong, as the term is. " I have 

 plenty of them," said he, "but am unfortunate in having several 

 at present amiss, and the horse you are going to ride is rather 

 short of work, as I have only lately purchased him. On our next 

 day's hunting I shall be able to mount you better."* 



Amongst all the truisms which Beckford published, relating 

 to the science and practice of hunting, there is none more worthy 

 cf regard than that which points out the disadvantages under 

 which hounds labour in high winds ; stating, emphatically, that 

 " the kennel is the best place for hounds on a windy day." The 



* Among other casualties, Mr. Ramsay told me three of his horses 

 had gone wrong through being clipped. I shall never hold with that 

 practice, neither did I see a dozen hunters clipped in Scotland, 



