HISTOEY OF THE LINLITHGOW 



time was living at Murrayfield House near Edin- 

 burgh, and from it hunting the otter on the Avon 

 and the Almond as well as on many of the other 

 rivers in the south of Scotland, would have been 

 accepted as his successor had he chosen to come 

 forward. This, however, Mr Hill, after apparently 

 efivinof the matter serious consideration, decided 

 not to do, for the reason that, being unable to 

 ride, he felt he could not satisfactorily undertake 

 the duties of master in the field. No other suit- 

 able candidate for the mastership presenting him- 

 self, the prospects of the Hunt were for a time 

 far from bright, but after the lapse of a few weeks, 

 Colonel Gillon, to the relief of all concerned, 

 intimated his willingness to continue for another 

 season, and thus trouble was once more averted. 

 The terms upon which Colonel Gillon resumed 

 the control differed slightly from those previously 

 agreed to, inasmuch as the subscription was in- 

 creased to £1200, and it was understood that the 

 country should be hunted two days a-week, with 

 a bye-day at the master's discretion — one day a 

 fortnight at least to be devoted to the Stirling- 

 shire district. Under this arrangement — the 

 kennel lameness still existing — Colonel Gillon 

 acquiesced in a proposal that the Golfhall kennels 

 should again be adopted as headquarters, and he 

 seems also to have generously offered to build a 

 kennel at Wallhouse, from which the north-western 

 part of the country could be conveniently over- 

 taken ; but difficulties intervened which prevented 



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