AND STIRLINGSHIHE HUNT 



hunted nicely as far as Blackcraig and afterwards 

 ran well until some ploughed land near Broadlaw 

 brought them to their noses. Puzzling out the line, 

 they went on over Binny craig to Hangingside, and 

 from that, turning up wind, raced by Ochiltree, 

 Riccarton, Whitebaulks, the Devil's Elbow and 

 Preston to B'ormie. Then driving through the 

 Witch craig and Cairnpapple they reached Cathlaw, 

 beyond which they had a brace in front of them — 

 a fresh fox as well as the hunted one — and when a 

 few minutes later they went away from the strip 

 opposite the keeper's cottage at Wallhouse craigs, 

 it was, unfortunately, with the fresh one. The 

 field which, owing to the pace and the extent of 

 country traversed, had already been considerably 

 thinned, now became further reduced in number, 

 Mr Fred Usher being the last to give in. Cotes- 

 worth, however, who at this stage got his second 

 horse, and Mr Poss, Hopetoun, who had come out 

 late, followed hounds — still running with dash 

 and vigour, — by Ballencrieff, over Johnstone's hill, 

 through Cairnpapple and the Witch craig to the 

 north wood at Lochcote, where an opportunity of 

 stopping them was taken. ^ Although the furthest 

 points touched are only some four miles apart, 

 hounds must have covered more than twenty, and 

 that without a check, — a circumstance which points 

 to the hard state of condition into which they had 

 been brought by their huntsman. 



' 'The Scotsman,' 10th February 1896; 'Land and Water,' 15th 

 February 1896. 



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