NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 287 



and cut off the same piece with those of his two whippers-in, of whom 1 

 shall speak hereafter. 



To the English reader it may scarcely be necessary to mention, that, 

 independently of his Scotch countries, Lord Kintore hunted, for three 

 seasons, what is called the Vale of White Horse country, in Berkshire 

 and Wiltshire. It is only his due to state — and surely no part of that 

 due should be withheld from a sportsman who, like himself, brought his 

 hounds five hundred miles to hunt it — that he gave great satisfaction to 

 his fields in the Vale of White Horse, and his retirement was much 

 regretted. Being, however, always anxious to produce proofs for asser- 

 tions of this nature, I have one ready at hand. " Kintore," said a very 

 old friend of mine, who resides in that country, but who never hunted a 

 dozen times in his life, " I am sorry to hear you are about to leave us. 

 Perhaps you do so* from prudential motives, finding the expenses too 

 great. If so, I can only say, I shall be happy to put my name down for 

 3001. per annum, towards inducing you to remain with us." It luas 

 from prudential motives that his Lordship withdrew from Berkshire ; 

 and, to use his own words, " the rack and manger work at Wadley- 

 house was something awful," which, indeed, may be imagined from the 

 fact of the butcher's bill alone being 901. per month ! I wish, however, I 

 could say this was the most painful reminiscence of his Lordship's hunting 

 the Vale of White Horse, as the butcher and his bill would be dismissed 

 with a smile. I am sorry to add that, in one of the numerous falls he 

 had in his determination to be ** with 'em," over that strongly- fenced 

 country, he received a wound in his side, from a post that he alighted 

 upon, which is not healed to this day, and is the cause of occasional 

 severe suffering ; but which his Lordship, with that pluck that is pe- 

 culiar to him, will not admit of stopping him in his work— jocosely 



