NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 43 



Of the truth of this assertion, I shall satisfy my readers in a very few 

 words. When he is not with his hounds he is shooting ; when he is not 

 shooting he is fishing ; and he is one of the best walkers of his day. But 

 I will first mention one day's sport he indulged himself in, which may be 

 called a practical climax. During the time he had his harriers, he killed 

 two hares with good runs with them in the morning ; saw a fox killed, 

 after a good run, with the Duke of Buccleuch's pack at noon ; and then 

 killed nine salmon in the Tweed, before he sat down to dinner ! So much 

 for an ardent temperament, and ditto for a good constitution. 



It has been truly said by Dr. Johnson, that " those who attain excellence 



generally spend life in one pursuit, for excellence is not often gained 



upon easier terms." Now although Lord Elcho has been a sportsman 



ever since by the course of nature he could have been a sportsman, yet 



when he came under my observation, he had not had more than one 



year's experience as huntsman to a pack of fox-hounds ; and it would be 



too much to expect that, even with all the requisite qualifications I have 



given him, he should prove an absolute exception to this rule. But this 



much I will venture to predict of him, — strengthened by the opinion of 



others better able to judge of them than myself— that experiejice alone is 



wanting to put him upon a par with any other person in his calling. 



There is a quickness of decision in his movements in the field, which, 



tempered and chastened by the before-mentioned excellent schoolmaster, 



is one of the chief qualifications of the fox-hu7iter, and without which, 



on certain days, a good fox cannot be handsomely killed, let hounds be 



never so good. His lordship's fine horsemanship likewise gives him no 



small advantage here, as, barring accidents, his eye is never off his leading 



hounds in their work, and he has a very good man behind him, in his 



first whip, Joe Hogg, who appears as keen foi the sport as his master. 



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