FIRST BLOOD 45 



hounds round to the other side of the Blue Cairn height, 

 and they spread out nicely through some rushy ground 

 feeling for the line, then touching it they darted away 

 and ran heel up wind back over the height. 



" Dod, man, that's the back fit they're rinnin'," 

 roared old Peter, who had strode round in surprisingly 

 quick time as the hounds ran right back to the kennel 

 in his *^ heather buss," then threw up their heads, 

 wheeling round and round. Then he continued in 

 an agony of distress : '' Get awa yont, ye rash-heided, 

 donnert deevils ; auld Tweed wad made better wark," 

 he added, as I slithered past him blowing the horn, 

 Jack cantering round them to turn them back. In a 

 few minutes we had them put right, and were riding 

 down an easy slope, hounds running along the edge 

 of a long dry moss which ended in a deep water- 

 course. Crossing this, we had about two miles of 

 rough benty ground, where hounds made away from 

 us, but we got to them again very busy in a large fir 

 plantation. After two or three turns round it, when we 

 cracked our whips and showed ourselves as much as 

 possible, the chorus growing louder and louder, there 

 was a sudden lull, and then Jack's whoop came from 

 the other side. I found him standing by a rabbit 

 burrow, at the mouth of which hounds were baying 

 and tearing the turf and digging like demons. 



" Shall we give him any law, sir ? " asked Jack. 



" Not a bit, sir," replied a perspiring young farmer 

 for me. ^' There's fer owre mony o' them here-away ; 

 they've taen the maist feck o' ma wife's chickens, an' 

 noo they've yokit on the auld dockers." 



** Very well ; get a paling stob, and we'll soon have 

 him out." 



