2G6 NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 



room of this elegant mansion, all that human nature could, short of 

 presumption, demand. 



The next day (Dec. 16th,) met the Fife hounds at King.^muir, being 

 ao-ain mounted by Captain Peter Hay of Mugdrum, upon St. Edmund, 

 and not Duncan, as miscalled in my last. We found at Bonerbo, and 

 ao-ain at Redwells, and killed after a hunting run of an hour in which 

 Walker displayed much science, and could have again killed his fox 

 sooner than he did, had he had recourse to mobbing. " Leave 'em 

 alone," holloaed he to a person who would have had recourse to it ; " let 

 *em have their fun out." 



December 18. — The Fife again at Kemback. I was again capitally 

 mounted this day by the Earl of Rothes, who kindly invited me to his 

 house on my return to Mount Melville, of which I this day took my 

 leave ; but I am sorry to say an evil genius pursued us. We drew the 

 finest gorse cover in the hunt — indeed I know none finer anywhere — 

 called Bishop's gorse, so called from the fact of Archbishop Sharpe, the 

 last but two, I believe, of Scotch Bishops, having been murdered on the 

 ground on which the cover now stands, the very spot being marked with 

 a stone ; but we drew it blank. Something was said of a litter accident- 

 ally killed by putting a grate at the mouth of a drain, it not being known 

 that it was used by a fox at all. There must indeed have been some 

 cause for our disappointment, and for the sake of fox-hunting I hope 

 that is the real one. 



But as I have already said, this was an unlucky day, for there was a 

 breast high scent, and still no good could be done, from a series of un- 

 toward events. Twice the hounds slipped away out of a large woodland 



