216 FIELD AND FERN. 



was on Bounty or the '^Eclipse chesnnt/' and 

 Colonel Hamilton on Ben Yalder, Yery few, if anVy 

 could go before them. When little Will, who took 

 messages on a pony for the Colonel, and then rose 

 to be pad groom, first knew that country, the 

 "great corn and potato garden^^ was only yellow 

 with gorse from Dunbar to Soutra Hills, and held 

 many a '^^ traveller," who had stolen down from the 

 rock and heather of the Lammermoors to the low 

 country for meat. Dirletoh and Gosford were 

 barren links bound down with sea-bent, and tenanted 

 by rabbits and sandpipers. Haddington Hill Park 

 and Amisfield were in the centre of a wild moor, with 

 whins high enough to hide Phantassie^s horses when 

 his lad went to seek them. The country adjoined 

 Berwickshire on the Dunglass property in the east^, 

 and touched Midlothian at the Elphinstone Tower 

 grounds. When the joint mastership was given up, 

 Henry Duke of Buccleuch united the East and 

 Midlothians, and hunted them three days a week. 



Will's father, who was one of the whips, 

 then laid aside his scarlet, and became head 

 pToom at Pencaithland. His son still rode after 

 the Colonel, but the chase lure was too much 

 for him when he was on duty one day near Had- 

 dington. The Colonel was speaking to a farmer 

 at the turn of a road, as th(3 Duke^s brought their 

 fox across it, carrying a great head to Saltoun Wood, 

 and when he looked round, after his colloquy, 

 lad, horse, and coat were gone, and were well 



