lling themselves the Western Pilgrims, was formed, and three or
four matches, and good ones, too, were played between them and the
Conquerors and also the Cedargrove. The Pilgrims showed themselves no
mean opponents in the new game, and, after holding their own with the
Cedargrove in a drawn game, had a good tussle with the Conquerors on the
recreation ground at the Park, and were only beaten by a goal to none,
the goal, I remember, being made in the last five minutes by Bob Gardens
(who could dribble and play forward as well as keep goal). A few of the
Pilgrims took kindly to the Association rules, and while that season
lasted two of the leading forwards joined the Cedargrove, and turned out
capital players. Another joined the Druids, and became a famous
goalkeeper, even going as far as playing for his country in the
International match, and the fourth turned out a leading man in the
Holyrood Crescent. Talking about the above goalkeeper, Aleck M'Gregor
was one of the finest fellows that ever stood with his back to a goal.
There was the cheerful disposition, the gentlemanly demeanour to
opponents or associates whenever he appeared on the field. His knowledge
of the Rugby game made him a most useful man at goal, where the keeper
of that charge is the only man under Association rules who is allowed to
touch the ball with his hands. With the ordinary goalkeeper the punt-out
kick, when dexterously executed, was considered the most effective mode
of saving the ball from going under the tape, when the use of the hands
to knock it out was not deemed necessary, but Aleck preferred the
drop-kick, which is one of the redeeming features in the Rugby style of
play, and this he could do almost to perfection. I have seen him (for I
have, by-the-bye, taken part against him in several matches) lift a ball
after it had come pretty smartly from my right toe, and dropping it on
the ground before him, kick it as it rose, bounding away over the heads
of the Conquerors' forwards as they besieged the goal like a hive of
bees on a June morning. He had decidedly the advantage over the modern
"punter," inasmuch that the leather was always sure to go higher out of
reach when the place of defence was besieged, and farther out of the way
of lurking backs and half-backs, who, as a matter of course, crowd down
behind the forwards when an attack is made on an opponent's stronghold.

There were other instances which came to my knowledge (that is, if my