268 NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 



walk through such thick whins as these." ** And without your breeches 

 too, James,'' added Captain Balfour of the Guards, (who made one of 

 our party at Mount Melville) in allusion to the horse being clipped. 

 *' Thank ye," said I, " for the climax ; I shall book it." I may also here 

 remark, that this was only the fourth horse I saw in Scotland that had 

 been clipped, and in the large stud of Mr. Ralph Lambton, whom I 

 visited on my return homewards, I could not find one. 



My hack being at Cupar, I made the best of my way thither after 

 this bad day's hunting was over, and got to Dundee to my dinner, 

 sleeping there that night, to be ready for Mr. Dalyell's hounds on the 

 morrrow. But here T was once more foiled. He had kindly offered to 

 mount me, and had one of his own horses at the place of meeting for 

 me, but the frost was so severe in the neighbourhood of Dundee, that 

 after sliding upon ice for two miles on my hack, I returned to whence I 

 set out, supposing it to be impossible to hunt even at any time of the 

 day. About ten o'clock, however, Mr. Stewart of St. Fort, made his 

 appearance, and we agreed we would make the attempt, as it was pro- 

 bable Mr. Daly ell would draw some covers near the sea (near Arbroath), 

 which he did, and we were lucky to arrive at one of them just as he had 

 found his fox. But our luck ^vas of short duration. Five couples of hounds 

 had slipped away with the scent, and got three fields a-head of the body, and 

 although Mr. Stewart and myself, who met them, had it in our power 

 to stop them, still the mischief was done. The ground was stained and 

 the scent bad, and had not old Racer most scientifically marked him 

 into a whin cover, for which his master cheered him, we should have 

 seen no more of our fox. But here our evil genius pursued us. He 

 was handsomely refound ; twice attempted to break cover; but having 

 been twice headed back by the second whipper-in, he fell a prey to the 



