210 NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 



William's service." Althougli, as I have already said of him, an excellent 

 servant, he is not the most polished of his caste. Neither do I suppose, 

 by the orthography displayed in the list of his hounds, that the school- 

 master had been "abroad" in his young-er days; but what was the 

 printer of Falkirk about to let such a list go forth to the world ? I can 

 only account for it by his taking for g-ranted that we fox-hunters have 

 an orthography of our own*. However, to business. 



The fixture on this Saturday (the 6th) was Ormiston-hill, about 

 twelve miles from Edinburgh, on the Glasgow road, and, as I was in- 

 formed by Mr. Ramsay, a sure find. Being anxious then to have a 

 sight of the hounds previous to their being thrown into cover, as well as 

 to have a word with " old Scott," I took time by the forelock, and came 

 up with them about three miles short of it. I first took the measure of 

 Scott with my eye before I ventured to ride alongside him, and found 

 him exactly what I had conceived him to be — rather over topped, as we 

 say in the stable, but not looking much amiss in his saddle ; with a ruddy, 

 but healthy looking face, and somewhat of an intellectual eye. This 

 being accomplished, I ventured to address him, and the dialogue, as will 

 be imagined, was not much amiss. 



Nimrod. — '* A bad morning for hounds I fear." (It was blowing 

 something like a hurricane.) 



Scott. — *' Yes" — the word yes sounding very much like the German 



* As in these days of " Schoolmasters abroad" we don't often meet with such 

 specimens, I subjoin the following : — Prosopene, Barrone.NS, Willin, Breuser, 

 ]\latchom, Streacher, Mamlock (for Mameluke, I presume). What Vilo means 1 am 

 unable to guess, were it not the name of a bitch, I should have taken it for Filho 

 (daPuta). 



