NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 337 



his annual sale of stock, when of course the Captain gives a spread.) 

 '* Why," replied Jock, " I saw what I ne'er saw afore. / saw twa geese 

 on one dishr 



The Captain, like myself, keeps early hours. With him, indeed, they 

 are indispensable, as he makes a point to walk to Stonehaven, two miles 

 off, every morning by seven o'clock, and the exercise of the day takes 

 him early to his couch at night. His usual dinner-hour is three o'clock, 

 to enable him to walk to see his coach again in the evening; but this day 

 being, what is called, a " company day," six was the hour we dined at. 

 Amongst the party were, the Marquess of Carmarthen — heir apparent to 

 his grace the Duke of Leeds — who lives hard by ; and Captains Musgrave, 

 Delme, and Gage, of the 14th Light Dragoons — the two latter being 

 on a visit to the former, who had a house in Captain Barclay's neigh- 

 bourhood. And here again I made an engagement which circumstances 

 prevented ray performing. It was to accompany the Captain to Lord 

 Carmarthen's on my second visit to Ury, for the purpose of seeing 

 hawking, which I have never yet seen. The delay occasioned by the 

 frost prevented it, for I did not return to Ury till the season for that 

 sport was gone by. 



Thursday, 8th. — At six o'clock in the morning, the Captain and 

 myself were at our breakfast, and by seven we were at the village of Stone- 

 haven, which all belongs to him elf. On our road through the domain, 

 we met so many persons, men, women and boys, proceeding towards the 

 house, that I was induced to ask the Captain how many pair of hands 

 he employed on the farm, when he answered me — "about fourscore." 

 There is an excellent inn at Stonehaven, called the Mill Inn — so good 

 indeed as to have induced the late Duke of Gordon often to make it his 



2 X 



