NORTHERN TOUR. 285 



find, and in three minutes Reynard left his lodgings and broke 

 away in the finest style towards Waukmill Glen, the fastnesses 

 of which seemed to promise a retreat ; but there he was not 

 permitted to tarry. Accordingly, he sought Hurlet, meditating 

 Hawkhead, but his friends in the rear merely allowed him to 

 skirt this cover. Finding them somewhat troublesome, he boldly 

 took open country, and gallantly charged the Gleniffer Hills, 

 trusting to his own strength and their acclivity for shaking off 

 his pursuers. Determined not to part with him, however, they 

 stuck to it, and tracked their wily leader with unerring precision, 

 vindicating their claim to distinction as one of the best packs in 

 the kingdom ; but the field now became select his lordship and 

 one or two alone gaining the heights at the tail of the hounds. 

 Here the most admirable hunting was witnessed ; for, in despite 

 of snow and a cold wind, the hounds proved themselves good 

 ones, and after an hour and twenty-five minutes, ran into a fine 

 dog-fox in open field near to Neilston. It is impossible to ascer- 

 tain the distance which had been gone, as Reynard's course was 

 anything but straightforward ; but judging by the time, there 

 could not have been less than fifteen miles covered, which con- 

 sidering the country ridden over, is sufficient for proving the con- 

 dition of both horses and men, and such as but few of either, at 

 the pace gone, can be found to stand. Early in the run his lord- 

 ship was made a Baptist of in a deeply overflown ditch, and for 

 an instant held rather an awkward situation, nothing being 

 visible but his head and part of his horse ; but fortunately he got 

 extricated, and, sportsmanlike, despised the ducking, and held on 

 to the end without a dry rag on his back. It is to be hoped that 

 no bad effects will attach to his person, as we are sure this would 

 be regretted by all true fox-hunters. " 



No doubt but this was a splendid run. Having viewed the fox 

 away, I was tempted to follow the chase, but at the end of the 

 fourth field was obliged to pull up, and content myself with follow- 

 ing it with my eye, to which the nature of the ground was favour- 

 able. The pace was capital, the country very severe, being on 

 the ascent, and the ground very deep, but from the head the 

 hounds carried, I was convinced the finish would be good, if the 

 fox would keep above ground. I should have liked Frank Grant 

 to have been present when his lordship entered the drawing-room 

 with the brush of the fox in his hand. His appearance, after his 

 having been over head in the water, and well bespattered with 

 mud besides, was quite of the " varmint order/' and would have 

 made a good study for the artist. With the exception of this 

 slip, however, he was, I understood, capitally carried by Collier, 

 and never many yards from their sterns. Harrison, one of the 



