COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 133 



CHAPTER X. 



FIFE : 1849 AND 1850. 



THE Fife Hounds having been sold to Sir R. Sutton, 

 there were no hounds in Fife in 1848 and 1849. 



4th July, 1849. I bought the Donnington dog 

 pack from Jack Storey and Sir Seymour Blane. 

 They were a good, useful working pack, and cost 

 200. I engaged Will Skene as kennel huntsman, 

 who had whipped-in to Walker ; Charles Pike, from 

 the Devon, as second whip ; and David Shepherd as 

 feeder, who had been many years with Walker. 



I put the kennels in order at Charleton (my 

 father had kept the hounds there in 1803). I bought 

 the pavement in the old kennels at Cupar, which had 

 been taken possession of by the railway, and took it 

 to Charleton. I came home about the 8th July. 



On yth August I bought two ponies " Bellows," 

 for 7 from Porter, the blacksmith at Dykeside, and 

 " Gridiron," from Kitchen, the V.S. at Cupar. On 

 loth October at Clatto Den, first day cub-hunting. 



George Moore and Archie Little rode " Bellows " 

 and " Gridiron ". Loughborough (Francis) was out, 

 also John Balfour and Lady Theodora Grosvenor. 

 Hot, dry and little scent. Found a brace ; ran up 

 to Teasses and back to Clatto and lost him. Found 



