NIMROD'S NORTPIERN TOUR. 311 



huntsman, however, was pretty soon in his place, and we had a very 

 quick thirty-five minutes to the first check, killing him in Hatton-park. 

 Lord Kintore rode one of his old Berkshire horses, a thorough-bred 

 roarer, who carried him brilliantly, and I rode another. The Professor, 

 a great favourite of his lordship's. The pace was a little too quick for 

 me, the first quarter of an hour, and just as I had a chance to be with 

 them by a turn in my favour, I got a floorer at a brook which put my 

 chance aside. I never saw a more treacherous bit of ground than the 

 banks of this brook. They appeared as green as a bowling-green, and 

 smooth as a turnpike road, so that, trying to catch hounds at the moment, 

 I went very fast at it, when The Professor found himself anything but 

 in clover. He sank above his knees on the rising side ; and as one of 

 my stirrups was wrenched out of the bars, I conclude I must have been in 

 trouble. Lord K.'s second horseman, however, having caught my horse, 1 

 oot up with them in the park, before they had killed their fox, and had 

 the pleasure of giving a helping hand in killing him, by having heard a 

 hound or two turn short back, in the cover, w^iilst the body were at fault 

 outside. The pace up to this check had been capital, and pug must have 

 been turned up in view, had he kept on. The fact was, he was headed ; 

 having gone one field from the cover, facing a good country. 



Saturday, 27. — No sport in the morning, but a sharp burst in the 

 evening; in short, we went the pace, and did honour to the festivity of 

 the season. Our party was the same as at Dunlugas, being disappointed 

 of iMr. Duff's (of Hatton-park) company, who pleaded the tendo Achilles. 

 Drinkers, they say, should have no memories — at least a Grecian proverb 

 so says. Perhaps not, but had I been dipt in Lethe, I could not, I think, 

 have forgotton some of the proceedings of this jovial night. For example — I 

 could not have forgotten that besides wine at dinner, I carried to bed, and 



