35 



interesting; and many a good laugh they sometimes have 

 upon the size of the jumps, as rehited by the young 'uns after 

 dinner, the fences having grown much larger since their 

 hunting days. "Squires" has killed six brace and a half of 

 foxes since he began regular hunting, unfortunately falling in 

 mostly with dodgers, and sometimes the field have been to 

 blame in heading a good 'un when his mind was bent in 

 going away. On Tuesday, the loth, they had a short thing 

 from the Skiff of about four miles, the only fault being too much 

 "Macadamizing." After running down to the bottom end> 

 his point evidently being Johnstone Castle, he turned up the 

 glen and broke to the west, leaving North Muir Dykes to the 

 left, then down towards Castle-Semple, along the Beltree 

 Strip to ground at Loch side House. The Colonel, Squires, 

 Dr. Wolsey, Mr, Cramsie (oth Fusiliers), Mr. Jackson, and 

 Mr. Clapperton only got away, the rest of the field were left 

 coffee housing at the bottom of the covert, and, I am told, 

 had a Mount Pisgah gallop without hounds, led by a hard- 

 riding member of the Hunt, towards Caldwell. Went back 

 and killed a brace. Another fox broke away up by Bardrain, 

 but even suppose Squires had wanted, the high country was 

 too hard to ride. 



Saturday, 18th. — Met at Barrochan, and I need hardly 

 repeat what I have so often said before, wherever old Scott is 

 the "tod" is not very far off While they were drawing the 

 Northend Wood a fox was viewed away from the Garden- 

 Stick covert. It was a little time before Squires got his 

 hounds on, and then, owing to a nasty catching scent, as is 

 generally the case with a lifting frost, they hunted him slowly 

 on past Boghall, over the road to the high wood above Park 

 Erskine Glen. Just as the hounds Vi^ent away, it would have 

 frightened some of the quiet ones to hear the anathemas of 

 old Fulton, as some of the duffers, who don't know sown 

 grass from the flags in Buchanan Street, went helter-skelter 

 over his seeds. But to return to our muttons, — or rather the 

 hounds, — the fox doubled back out at the bottom end, crossed 

 the Drums Road near to Hardgate Toll, and went on — very 



