NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 119 



however, quite ready for another day, and, like the rest of the stud, 

 in very excellent condition. To enumerate them all would by no 

 means be desirable, were it in my power to do so; but I am able to 

 give, in a few w^ords, the general character of the servants' horses in the 

 Duke of Buccleuch's hunting establishment, all of which are purchased 

 by Williamson himself— lately, I understood, by his Grace's orders, at 

 something beyond Williamson's estimate of a Scotch hunter's value. 

 They are for the most part light horses, not equal, on the average, to 

 more than from eleven to twelve stone weight, but showing a great deal 

 of hio-h breeding;, without which, indeed, they would be often found 

 wanting in parts of the duke's country— particularly over the Cheviot hills. 



" But where," said I to Williamson, ''is your famous old white horse, 

 of whom I have heard so much?" " Gone earth-stopping with Hugh; 

 I dont ride him till the ground gets quite soft," was the reply. " You 

 are right," resumed I; "and if sportsmen in general were not to ride 

 horses of a certain age either early in the autumn^ or far on in the spring, 

 they would find a very large balance in their favour at the end of twenty 

 years." There was a clever little chestnut mare in one of the stalls, show- 

 ing a deal of blood, and, as the dealers say, " as long as a cart rope," 

 which I saw Williamson ride twice when I was in his country, — appearing 

 to be as handy as a fiddle, from the tuition she had experienced at his 

 hand. There was not one lame horse in this stable. 



My next visit was to the duke's own stud, nineteen in number, of 

 which two were clipped, for the reason I have already given. Amongst 

 the lot were three or four young horses, going through their education 

 for the field under the able direction of Frank Collison ; but the rest 

 were first rate hunters, and more than equal to the duke's weight, as 



