NlMllOD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 259 



to the notice of the sporting world ; and perhaps had not the Miss 

 Tijompsons been the daughters of Mr Thompson of Charlton, I should 

 have doubted the propriety of doing so by thera. But I must say, ( 

 never saw two better horsewomen (I do not mean riders, because I know 

 hundreds of good riders, as they are called, and elegant ones too, on 

 perfectly broken-in horses); and " horseivumen'' they must have been, 

 to have ridden the nags on which they were mounted. They appeared 

 all but, if not quite, thorough-bred, with ill-set on heads, very ticklish 

 mouths, and very much inclined to play tricks ; notwithstanding which, 

 these young ladies were as much at home upon their backs as if they 

 had been sitting' on a drawing-room sofa. In short, on seeing them 

 both jjoing; at nearly the top of their horses' speed, over some very rough 

 ground, I could not help exclaiming to Mr. Dalyell, " Surely those 

 young ladies have borrowed Sam Chifney's hands " 



The Fife country. I scaicely saw enough of the File home country 



to offer a decided opinion upon it, and I did not see that called the 



" West Fife" at all, which is much the best, and which, as I have 



before said, has shown great sport*. Like most parts of Scotland the 



covers afford riot, the chief of which is roe ; but I must say the Fife 



iiouuds are very steady in drawing, and at all other times. 1 only saw 



one hound come out of cover, with roe, when, although in view, he was 



stopped by Tom. Batters, by one single rate. The part of :he country 



which I saw was far from objectionable, although the covers are nearer 



* This West of Fife countiy afforded a capital run in the Waich month, after 1 

 (juitted Scotland — from a moor near Queensferry. It was twelve miles, with scarcely 

 a check ; and so fast that only four of the field saw it. These were, Mr. Why to 

 Melville, Mr. John Grant, General Bucckle, and Walker. By the bye, Mr. Editor, 

 have I not omitted the mention of General Bucckle in my notice of the party at 

 Duuse ? He was out twice with Lord Ekho, during my visit to him, is a hard 

 rider, and a sportsman ; and was at Mellon tlie last year of Mr. T. A. Smith's hunt- 

 ing the Quorn country. 



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