368 FIELD AND FERN. 



Sampson l\ind, and a very useful sheep^ but Sampson 

 himself was " not of an ofif-hand show appearance." 

 He was the largest Mr, Brydon ever bred, and weighed 

 nearly IDJst. of 141bs. even when his season had 

 sunk him 5 or 6 stone. As a ewe-getter, there was 

 none to compare with "The Rigglin," for which 

 Mr. Borthwick of Hopesrigg gave £100. Robson, 

 from whom many of the best ewes are descended, was 

 a horned one, and for staple and quality of wool he 

 was unequalled among the tups, aud brought £75 at 

 Beattock. Horned Cheviots are generally more 

 hardy and coarser in the coat, but Eobson^s was a 

 complete contradiction of the rule. Hornie was sold 

 for 55 gs. to Mr. Patterson of Twiglees, and Mr. 

 Elliot of Hindhope got his sire, who, like Old Tom, 

 was more of a ewe getter. The Captain (95 gs.) by Old 

 Palley went as a three-shear to Mr. Borthwick ; and 

 Mr. Graham of The Shaw had the remains of " Heb" 

 in a present, when he had been used for five seasons. 

 The old Mawkey ewe thrice shared first-prize 

 honours in a pen of five ewes, and gimmers, and she 

 had twins every year but two. Out of her twenty-two 

 lambs, one of them was Lord Clyde (the wdnner of 

 8 prizes) by The Duke, and another Sir Colin by Heb, 

 who won five prizes. But as we were pondering over 

 this Eskdale matron, the rain came down in such tor- 

 rents, and swelled the brook to such an extent, that 

 further progress was impossible. There was no Lang- 

 holm that night, and we resigned ourselves to a 

 most pleasant captivity. 



