56 HOUND AND HORN 



suner, the leein' thief; he's a guid pleughman, but he 

 wad never dae for a hunter, him." 



The old man used to supply the stable with straw 

 and oats, and was with difficulty coaxed into the 

 house one day to get a settlement of his account for 

 provender. Only the bribe of a promised dram, and 

 the assurance that there were no women- folk about, 

 overcame his shyness and reluctance ; but once in, 

 the trouble was to get him to leave. At parting he 

 said : ^* It wad been a positeeve calamity if ye hadna 

 come forrit to cairry on the hoonds. I think ye'U 

 dae ; aye, I think ye'll dae. I wasna share aboot ye 

 at first, 1 thocht ye was owre prood." 



The same old gentleman was not without a sense of 

 humour. Meeting him one market day, he accosted 

 me as follows : — 



*' A saw a graun fox hunt last week. The fox cam 

 doon the furr juist twae feerins affwhaur Tam was 

 plewin', an' the whole o' the hoonds sune efter, doon 

 the verra same furr, gein' mooth graund, a bonnie 

 sicht a' thegither, fox an' hoonds, an' a' ; but," with a 

 dig in my ribs, " nae riders, nae riders." 



His farm was intersected, as much of the country 

 is, by a long deep glen, with only one or two crossing- 

 places ; and if the chase leads over such a place, 

 unless you hit upon a crossing it is often a case of 

 *^ nae riders." 



The hill men were especially keen, real sportsmen, 

 with an inborn love of horse and hound, and an 

 intimate knowledge of the science and craft of hunt- 

 ing. They knew the likely lie of a fox in all weathers, 

 and his probable line when hunted, and were most 

 appreciative of hound work, and quick to observe it. 



