John White, the Gamekeeper. 15 



perform) of his agility, and his playing a fish for more 

 than an hour, we could only gaze in wonder at his 

 burly figure, and congratulate him upon being " got 

 so fit" for the Derby week with a salmon to " lead 

 work" all spring. He was out deer-stalking with the 

 Prince Consort in Glenartney Forest, when H.R.H. 

 first came to Scotland, and he had some capital stories 

 of his keeper's experiences, "owre the muir amang 

 the heather." The frost always found his eye true 

 and his hand steady for the curling stones, and he 

 won a prize not many winters since at that game. 

 He was also a capital rifle shot, and he especially 

 cherished a silver medal which he won in 1829 at the 

 Border Club, when a stripling of twenty, as " the 

 Ettrick Shepherd" with whom he had often lived 

 and fished and shot near the Braes of Yarrow hung 

 it round his neck in public, and made a short speech 

 in his honour. Few better game shots went into a 

 cover ; he delighted in his profession, and in such a 

 retired spot, among the laurels, " where once a garden 

 smiled, and still where many a garden flower runs 

 wild," he had a fine cover for his pheasants close 

 round his lodge, which was almost hid in jessamine 

 and honeysuckle. We often stayed with him there 

 and listened to his good stories, amplified rather at 

 times by the repetition of his pet phrase, "/ said to 

 Mr. says 7," but very amusing, and full of cha- 

 racter, for which he was a keen watcher. 



As each Derby began to loom, he was anxious to 

 be up and on the Downs, but he said every year that 

 he should " never come again." If there was a great 

 pigeon handicap, he would go and load for his young 

 master, Lord Stormont, and the North Countrie men 

 always delighted to see John's honest, hearty face 

 among them. He had known lots of them as chil- 

 dren, but he had hardly a grey hair in his head. He 

 also knew a leading book-maker, and from him he 

 received tips, but to judge from the state of his book, 



