NIMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 221 



be received on your arrival at Keith Hall, as all brother fox- 

 hunters are. You will be met by David at the steps, with a silver 

 fox's head full of claret, by way of a hearty welcome." u With 

 all my heart," I replied, " I like a hearty welcome ; it makes 

 everything taste so sweet." " But that is not all," continued my 

 informant ; " what are the odds against your having Timotheus 

 in the evening ?" " Timotheus !" said I, " what can Timotheus 

 have to do with fox-hunters, unless it be in remembrance of his 

 musical pipe, or his poem in honour of Diana ?" " You will see," 

 resumed my monitor. 



I shall now show the extent of this prophecy. On the present 

 occasion, the fox's head on the threshold was dispensed with, but 

 there were placed at the bar, two glasses of " something short," 

 Marischino, I believe in which his lordship and myself pledged 

 each other, with a good will ; and at six o'clock, we sat down, 

 tete-a-tete, to our dinner, my attention being divided between 

 the good things on my plate, and the meets of the three crack 

 packs of Scotch hounds, on the walls. The repast being finished, 

 " Now, Nimrod," said my host, " we will turn round to the fire, 

 and enjoy ourselves ;" and no sooner were we seated in our new 

 position, and the fire well stirred, than in walked David with 

 Timotheus ! Now, reader, I'll tell you in a few words what this 

 Timotheus is, and I am quite sure you will agree with me in 

 thinking that, powerful as may have been the prototype he of 

 Miletus, or even he of Bceotia, who is said to have mastered the 

 great Alexander himself with his pipe 



" Persians and Greeks, like turns of nature found, 

 And the world's victor stood subdued by sound " 



neither of them would have had a chance with this modern con- 

 queror. He appeared in the form of a thundering blue bottle, 

 with his name imprinted on the outside, and the inside containing 

 six bottles of claret, which were intended to find their way down 

 our throats in the course of this evening. In the name of fox- 

 hunting, said I to my friend, what have you got here ? However, 

 to conclude the history of Timotheus the Second, I shall only 

 observe, that, in humble imitation of the Norwegian captain, I 

 " supplicated for mercy," and obtained it. The bell was rung, 

 and the ponderous blue bottle was exchanged for the more appro- 

 priate claret jug, and a moderate and rational evening's work 

 was the result. 



The real history of this bottle I am not able to give ; I believe 

 it originated in some joke between Lord Kintore and his much 

 esteemed neighbour, Lord Panmure ; but this I do know, that 



