COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 219 



CHAPTER XIV. 



FIFE. 



HAVING settled all my affairs at Bicester I got home 

 to Charleton on ist July, 1857. 



Lord Rosslyn was Master of the Fife Hounds ; 

 Oxtoby, huntsman ; Fred Turpin, first whip ; Stephen 

 Dobson, second. 



Oxtoby was very unwell, and Turpin hunted the 

 hounds most of the season, and I whipped-in to him. 

 At the end of the season Oxtoby went to live at 

 Ollerton, and rode Percy Williams' second horse ; 

 but he died soon after of consumption. He was a 

 most respectable, good man and a capital breaker of 

 hounds, but too tame for this country, and never was 

 in good health. 



First hunting day was Melville Woods, at 9.30 ; 

 thirty-four couple hounds. Found two cubs and two 

 old foxes ; killed a cub in the middle of the wood ; 

 could do no good with the others. Went to "Not- 

 tingham " covert ; chopped a cub and ran two to 

 ground. Felton Hervey was staying with me ; he 

 rode " Charm " and I rode " Contract ". Rosslyn, 

 Patterson, Balfour and Haig out. 



As so many foxes were destroyed every year on 

 the Links, I rented all the rabbits between Largo 



