66 NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 



into a river to drown himself. '' Independently of the loss of an excel- 

 lent servant/' said his lordship, " I shall be in an awkward dilemma, 

 when my friends come to see me at Christmas ; and I expect a large 

 party." His lordship, however, was here instantly relieved by the ofifer 

 of Sir David Baird to lend him his cook, also a professor from the same 

 school. Lord Eglinton could assign no earthly reason for this rash act, 

 but hazarded an opinion that it might not have happened had he brought 

 him with him to Dunse ; and there may be some truth in this; idleness 

 is the parent of many crimes, and to a mind under the influence of hypo- 

 chondriacal passions, is one of the strongest incentives to that of suicide. 



About the hour of midnight — for fox-hunters seldom enter upon the 

 *' morning revel" — I was on my road to my bed, not in the rough great 

 coat, with the " pumps in the pocket," but comfortably stowed in the 

 right hand corner of a yellow post-chaise, in which were also seated Sir 

 David Baird and Mr, Campbell. Now we have often heard of '' an 

 agreeable companion in a post-chaise" being advertised for in the news- 

 papers, therefore I caution the public against accepting of Mr. Campbell 

 of Saddell, should he ever make a tender of himself to that purpose — 

 that is to say, unless, like poor Monsieur of the cuisine, the advertising 

 party is weary of life and wishes to avoid the discredit offelo de se. 



Our sawney of a post boy was not content with finding a gate in the 

 park wide open, but in compliment, as I suppose, to the Laird of the 

 Castle, he must dismount to shut it. No sooner had he got in the rear 

 of the carriage, than Mr. Campbell started the horses off by way of " a 

 lark ;" and had not the fellow with great adroitness caught hold of one 

 of them, just as they were getting into a gallop — for they were a very 

 spicy pair— the result of the " lark" would have been one or the other 



