HISTORY OF THE LINLITHGOW 



covert at Pumpherston, they ran through Houstoun 

 wood and across the railway to the Edinburgh 

 and Glasgow road, where they checked moment- 

 arily. But Stracey put them right, and crossing 

 the farm - road south of Easter Bangour farmhouse, 

 they ran hard northwards over the stiff but open 

 country between Riccarton and Binny, eventually, 

 "after traversing much country," marking their 

 fox to ground in a rabbit-burrow at Champfleurie, 

 from which he was taken and killed.^ A fortnioi'ht 

 later, on the 16th, the fixture at Carriden, then 

 the residence of Admiral Hope, was largely 

 attended, — the field including the Earl of Morton, 

 Lord Aberdour, Sir Frederick Graham, and " the 

 Young Squire" of Barnton. Hounds found at the 

 east end of the covert on the seashore, and took 

 their fox by the back of the house and the stables 

 down the approach. Crossing the public road, 

 they ran almost mute to Walton farm, turned 

 sharply to the left, and entering the Binns park, 

 streamed over the old grass to the laurels beneath 

 the tower. The thirty minutes up to this point 

 had been very fast, and happy were those who 

 had been able to live with the pack. Thence 

 leading hounds carried the line on into Hopetoun, 

 and when the body of the pack was got forward, 

 the hunt continued to Craigtonhill, where Stracey 

 had the satisfaction of handling his fox.^ Again 



1 Newspaper cutting in scrap-book which belonged to the late 

 Colonel Gillon, in the possession of Mr Andrew Gillon, Edinburgh. 



2 Ibid. 



174 



