308 NIMROD'S x^ORTHERN TOUR. 



upon turnips, and saw the hounds fed. Dined at Hatton-castle, a very 

 fine place, about five miles from Gask, with the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Duff, 

 the former suffering from a rupture of the tendo Achilles. But my noble 

 friend and myself were like to have been more than quits with our host, 

 on our road to his house, in a Turriff post-chaise. It was very dark when 

 WG started, and no lamps to the " yellow." *' We shall be upset," said I 

 to Lord K., " for this fellow (the post-boy, driving from the dicky) is 

 nearly blind I am sure." — *' Never fear him," said his lordship, ** he 

 knows the road." However, after various tossings from one side of the 

 carriage to the other, knocking our heads together like Punch and his 

 wife, down we went into a hole, which I subsequently measured — two 

 feet four inches deep. But, reader, mind the sangfroid with which 

 the fellow spoke of this trifling inistake ! " Where the devil did you 

 get to ?" said I to him as I alighted from the carriage at the castle. 

 " Wall, it was a varry kittle (Scottice queer) place," was all the reply 

 he made; and surely Longinus himself could not have given a more 

 concise one. 



Thursday, 25. — " See what it is to have a bit of religion about 

 one," said Jack Willan a short time back, when his cad's leg was broken 

 by the axle-tree of his coach breaking on a Sunday, when Jack never 

 *' tools 'em. "—See what it is not to be of the kirk of Scotland," say I; 

 for Mr. Ramsay's hounds had a splendid run on this day (Christmas- 

 day), whilst Lord K.intore's were snug in their kennel. But although 

 we could not hunt on Christmas-day, we saw something that reminded us 

 of hunting. We walked to " Kintore's-gorse," which is hard by, and 

 certainly a finer was never seen, neither was a finer hunting day ever 

 seen or felt, 



