312 Life and Times of " The Druid" 



Smith, as green as a young turkey on his 

 mother earth, but a very Talleyrand in the 

 saddle, and the winner of six St. Legers ; 

 Harry Grimshaw, of Gladiateur fame ; and 

 there, too, old John Osborne now rests his 

 dreamless head. Ashgill, in whose quiet little 

 parlour he used to sit like a wizard, not con- 

 sulting the stars or perusing the prophets, 

 but weighing handicaps in his good brain 

 balance, is perched high on the hill-side. 

 Below is Tupgill, from which Tomboy and 

 Caccia Piatti used to go forth to clear their 

 pipes in the brisk air ; and beyond is Brecon- 

 gill, which is also associated with some of 

 Tom Dawson's best triumphs with the Eglin- 

 ton tartan, the Johnstone crimson, the Jardine 

 ' blue with silver braid,' and the ' Jamie 

 Meiklam ' stripes." 



In the same style and manner are "The 

 Druid's" comments upon the graves of Bay 

 Middleton and Crucifix : — 



" The old horse was ill all the summer of 

 1856, and died on November 3rd of the fol- 

 lowing year. His heels had been very bad, 

 and kept in perpetual turnip poultices, and for 

 the last three or four days he lay down and 



