280 RECORDS OF THE CHASE 



while on the ground — from that point continued to 

 lead, but saw little more of the hounds than I did ; but 

 I have spoken to several shepherds and farmers on my 

 way home to-day, and, except for about half a minute, 

 I have no evidence — indeed, strong presumptive evi- 

 dence to the contrary — that the hounds ever checked at 

 all. The fox was killed in the River Nith, two miles 

 above Durrisdeer, and this latter-named place is as the 

 crow flies more than twenty miles from the Barr Cover. 

 There were two bends in the run — one a sweep round 

 by the left in the early part of the run, as if going to 

 Dalswinton, a common line for a fox to take in this part 

 of the country ; then, changing his mind, or at any rate 

 his course, he held on upwards : many miles further on 

 after passing Queensbury, and upon entering the Duke 

 of Buccleuch's property, he dodged round a farm-house, 

 tried to enter some sheds, and failing in such attempts, 

 he turned in full view both of hounds and several farm- 

 servants, and went right up a steep mountain called 

 Camp Cleuch. Here they disappeared ; but presently 

 returned into the low country over the far shoulder of 

 this mountain, about two miles off, and in full view of 

 the herd on this farm ; from thence they held on to 

 Durrisdeer, where both fox and hounds were seen by a 

 Mr. Dickson, who declares that they were running in 

 view. It was, however, ten miles further on, in the 

 actual bed of the River Nith, that the hounds were 

 seen eating this truly gallant fox — Quseque ipsa non 

 vidi. The clergyman's son was passing by on the high 

 road, and is my informant on this most truly grand 

 announcement. May I not say, finis coronal opus? 



"Now for the time ; it was, as I said in my last, 

 exactly by my watch twenty minutes after one o'clock 

 when I viewed the fox away. I was told the next 

 morning that at four o'clock the hounds were last seen 

 running past Durrisdeer. It was, however, as I well 

 remember, very dark at four o'clock according to my 

 watch; and on further inquiry, I am positively told by 

 the Duke of Buccleuch's gamekeeper among others, 

 that the day was still quite clear when the hounds 

 passed that place. It must consequently have been 

 rather under the two hours and a half from the find at 

 the Barr Cover to the kill in the Nith, half way be- 

 tween Thornhill and Sanquhar, and I am prepared to 

 prove that the ground gone over is as near, if not 



