HISTORY OF THE LINLITHGOW 



the seasons immediately following the Messrs 

 Ushers' acceptance of the mastership was to a con- 

 siderable extent attributable to the working power 

 of the pack. But much credit was due to Cotes- 

 worth who, being at this period in the prime of life 

 was probably at his best — quick both in the field and 

 in the kennel, a good and bold horseman and a clever 

 huntsman ; while a word of praise may be bestowed 

 on Will Orvis, the first whipper-in, afterwards well 

 known with the Atherstone and the Meynell. 



By the autumn of 1895 Lord Hopetoun had 

 returned to this country from Victoria and, on the 

 2nd of November, hounds met at Hopetoun House, 

 where, it goes without saying, a cordial welcome was 

 given to all. This, besides being the first day of 

 regular hunting was the first of a season in which 

 there was much sport and little frost ; and although 

 there were many hard days and many good runs both 

 before and after the coming of the new year, it was 

 the work resulting from a fixture at Uphall inn 

 which this season, as in several previous ones, 

 proved to be the highest test of condition. With 

 the pack hard at it from half-past two to ten 

 minutes past five o'clock on the 8th of February 

 (1896), horses and men were kept going as long as 

 they could last, and Cotesworth alone managed to 

 struggle to the end. Finding at Bangour, hounds 

 broke towards Craigbinning, but wheeling when 

 they reached the Wilderness covert, ran by the 

 Bangour strips to Cairnpapple and thence back to 

 Bangour. Leaving Bangour a second time they 



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