434 The Hunting Countries of England. 



aud it is a school through which a young rider may 

 graduate with the greatest advantage. A big loose- 

 made horse is altogether out of place here. He must 

 be compact and well bred ; and, with strength to go 

 up hill and shoulders to come down, had better be on 

 a small scale than on an exaggerated one. In fact, a 

 sturdy clever thoroughbred is the best mount with the 

 Duke of Buccleuch^s hounds. 



As a rule, but small fields go out in the Duke^s 

 country ; but on Mondays and Thursdays, when the 

 railway brings in recruits, and Northumberland, 

 Berwick, and Koxburgh all supply their forces, as 

 many as sixty to a hundred horsemen muster for the 

 fray — and hard riding may be witnessed in fully due 

 proportion to the numbers. 



The country, as at present constituted, is arranged 

 to be hunted much as follows — the days of hunting 

 being, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. A 

 Friday is given once a month to the rough country up 

 the valley of the Gala ; and once a month the same 

 day to the extreme north corner of Northumberland 

 (hunted in common with the North Berwickshire and 

 Lord Percy's). 



Monday is for what is known as the Kelso country, 

 south of the Tweed and Teviot to the Cheviots, and 

 takes in much of the Duke's best and most open 

 ground. Some of the principal meets are C railing, 

 Eckford, Blakelaw, Lurdenlaw, and the famed Hadden 

 Rigg, from which so many great runs took place in 

 days gone by — when men used to come even fi^om 

 Edinburgh by coach to meet hounds at Hadden Rigg. 



It was immortalised by the famous run from thence 



