NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR, 135 



were gone away with their fox, he had recourse to an expedient which 

 he found to answer. He put his finger in his ear and cried ^'Tally-ho," 

 at the same time giving some ratth'ng view holloas. Unfortunately for 

 him, the fox headed short back, and King coming* up to the cover at the 

 moment, with rather an indifferent scent, away flew his hounds to these 

 cheering view holloas of the young whip, and left him to hunt his fox him- 

 self. " 'Gad,'' said Williamson, *'I got such a strapping from King that I 

 never cried * Tallv-ho' to tail hounds again." I have also another anecdote 

 of Williamson and King. A daughter of the formerbeing unwell, the 

 doctor said he feared her lungs were affected. " What does the doctor 

 mean, " said Williamson, *' by talking such nonsense as that^ A child of 

 mine, and out of a daughter of John King, with bad lungs ! Nay, nay — 

 that cannot be." Nor was it so, for his daughter soon recovered her 

 health, but not without the life of her mother being ''jeopardized," as 

 Williamson called it, by the rash prediction of the doctor. Williamson 

 certainly has the lungs of a Stentor. 



As a horseman, I have no hesitation in pronouncing Williamson pre- 

 eminent both as to seat and hand ; and although he may have lost a little 

 of the dash that seldom accompanies us beyond our fortieth year*, I have 

 reason to believe, that take him for all in all — 



*' O'er the plaias, or in the dell, 

 O'er the mountaiu's savage swell,' 



there is no man in Scotland who rides nearer to hounds than he does, the 

 whole season throughout. And considering the number of years he has 



• I take Williamson's age to be about forty-five, but I omitted ascertaining the fact. 

 In what is called " a hill run," I believe all men take their hats off to him. His light 

 weight of course tells. 



