NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 167 



at the head, and some of the old ones at the tail, and particularly so at 

 the pace the pack was at this time going. Shortly after this the day 

 told upon the horses, and the walls and ditches looked high and wide 

 even to the best of them; but I saw no falls, and but few were absent at 

 the finish. 



I have previously alluded to two clever casts I saw made by Williamson, 

 one of which, — *' the cast /orM;arc?,"— occurred towards the end of this 

 chase. After running very hard over low, deep, and rich land, the 

 hounds got upon that which was higher and lighter, which brought them 

 to check in some plantations, a short distance from a gentleman's house 

 which was below them*. Not hitting off the scent, after the second 

 fling for it, Wilhamson put his horn to his mouth, and galloped down to 

 the house, at which he knew there was a drain occasionally used by 

 foxes. He was right; our fox had tried it, and gone on. 



I have already mentioned the finish to this run. Our fox — evidently 

 one of the right sort — gained the large village of Yetholm, the renowned 

 colony of gypsies, and there found his safety. And yet one would 

 imagine Yetholm to be about the last place for any living animal — eatable, 

 or non-eatable — to find itself secure in ; but it appears that the gypsies 

 here are but little distinguished by peculiarity of character or habits from 

 their fellow-townsmen, although they do not intermarry with them. 

 There is a fine lake near this place called Primside lake, which Mr. 

 George Baillie told me abounded with pike of great size ; and amongst 

 its other curiosities, the church of Yetholm is covered with thatch — 

 reminding one of the primitive simplicity of its first days. 



* Called The Cherry Trees. 



