101 



he piloted a number of the field down, but his horse made too 

 big a spring, and, quoting Warburton, slightly altered — 



" In the run, said a sportsman, just as I led, 

 My horse jumped in the brook and went bang overhead ; 

 Like a whale in the water I floundered about, 

 And being thrown in, I of course was thrown out." 



When he came up, his language to the farmer was anything 

 but "Parliamentary;" but eventually, a kindly ^mfeZic being 

 at hand, he got home all right, none the worse for his ducking. 

 After crossing the Gryfe, the hounds ran up again to the 

 Torr, going through which the fox went out over the muir, 

 turned to the right, and saved his brush in a drain at Carruth, 

 and being such a gallant fox, no attempt was made to dig him 

 out. They were going two hours and a half, and must have ran 

 over about eighteen miles of country. In the first part of the 

 run there was no doubt it was catch 'em if you can, with now 

 and then a sight of them; but in the latter part the field were 

 pretty well with them. A good deal of time was put off 

 about Houston Wood; but the hounds were hunting all the 

 time, and although they ran to a point and back again, it was 

 the longest run I have seen in my day. The hounds never 

 were cast, and hunted through this long run admirably. On 

 the way home, a farmer who had witnessed the latter part of 

 the run from the top of a hill, addressed Mr. Matheson as 

 follows: — " Weel, hae ye kilt your fox?" On Mr. M. saying 

 no, he expressed satisfaction, saying — "I ken him weel; ye've 

 hunted that ane for twelve years; they telt me he was shot last 

 year, but I think he'll gie ye another run yet." Tired horses 

 were the order of the day on the ride home, and tremendous 

 were the jumps when some members got their legs under the 

 mahogany, but — 



" To friendship, true friendship the toast shall go round, 

 To love aud the pleasure derived from the chase ; 

 For while love and friendship in union are found, 

 What bliss can of hunting, fox-hunting, take place." 



