NIMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 255 



declaring he would give twenty pounds for one hour, best pace, 

 " over yonder country," pointing towards as fine a one for hounds 

 as any man could desire ; lastly, our fox did face that fine 

 country, with every hound on the scent of him, arid a fair start 

 for all. " By heavens," said I to myself, "but we are in for a 

 cluster !" as I saw Walker putting the extraordinary little chest- 

 nut at a wall as high as himself, and at nearly full speed too, not 

 appearing to know or to care what was on the other side, where 

 there happened to be a yawner, which the impetus given by the 

 pace enabled him to clear, all but the hind legs, which dropped 

 short. A more beautiful start, over a more beautiful country, 

 was never seen anywhere fine large fields, all grass, and nothing 

 in our front to hang in, when death fell upon our hopes. The 

 coward fox would not face it, and turned nearly short back, 

 when the pace was not quite so good. This, however, gave him 

 fresh courage, and once more he attempted to gain his point, 

 which was evidently over the country I have alluded to ; and he 

 once more faced it with the hounds well on the line. But now 

 for the luck in fox-hunting. He was met by two little girls, who 

 headed him short back, and he entered the glen of Genaldy, from 

 which, however, he was soon viewed away. Our hopes were now 

 revived ; we all got another good start ; wall after wall was 

 jumped as if made of india-rubber, instead of the sharp-cutting 

 whinstone ; in short, rival spirits were at work Johnny Dalyell 

 for the honour of Forfarshire (without a fore shoe) ; Peter 

 Hay on Corney, and Earle on a good one, for Fife ; Whyte 

 Melville and Walker for the pack ; and the worthy, straight- 

 forward Sir Ralph Anstruther (who by-the-by nearly jumped 

 over a wall and me at the same time) for all. And now comes 

 the climax. In the midst of this exciting scene, the for once 

 cursed whoo-whoop was heard, and our fox was safe in one 

 of those thousand open drains, which are the cause of so much 

 disappointment in Scotch fox-hunting ! I was again mounted by 

 Captain Peter Hay on Sir Edmund. 



The evening of this day made great amends for the disappoint- 

 ment of the morning. Our party at Mount Melville, which in- 

 cluded Mr. Earle, were asked to dine at Strathtyrum, the fine 

 seat of Mrs. Cheape, near the town of St. Andrews a widow 

 lady I believe. Like most widow ladies who give dinners, Mrs. 

 Cheape gave us a sumptuous one, and to no.less than twenty-one 

 persons which our party consisted of, being on the occasion of 

 the arrival of a newly married couple, her relations, who were 

 present. And here I wish to correct a mistake, or, I should 

 rather say, what might be considered an error in judgment, on a 

 point I should be sorry to be thought deficient in. I was asked by 



