ild sport which Scott describes in his
'Guy Mannering,' as pursued by Dandy Dinmont and his associates among
the Cheviots, was extensively practised twenty-nine years ago amid the
dingier haunts of the High Street and Canongate. Our party, like most
others, had its dog,--a repulsive-looking brute, with an earth-directed
eye; as if he carried about with him an evil conscience; and my
companions were desirous of getting his earthing ability tested upon the
badger of the establishment; but on summoning the tavern-keeper, we were
told that the party below had got the start of us. Their dog was, as we
might hear, 'just drawing the badger; and before our dog could be
permitted to draw him, the poor brute would require to get an hour's
rest.' I need scarce say, that the hour was spent in hard drinking in
that stagnant atmosphere; and we then all descended through the
trap-door, by means of a ladder, into a bare-walled dungeon, dark and
damp, and where the pestiferous air smelt like that of a burial vault.
The scene which followed was exceedingly repulsive and brutal,--nearly
as much so as some of the scenes furnished by those otter-hunts in which
the aristocracy of the country delight occasionally to indulge. Amid
shouts and yells the badger, with the blood of his recent conflict still
fresh upon him, was again drawn to the box-mouth; and the party
returning satisfied to the apartment above, again betook themselves to
hard drinking. In a short time the liquor began to tell, not first, as
might be supposed, on our younger men, who were mostly tall, vigorous
fellows, in the first flush of their full strength, but on a few of the
middle-aged workmen, whose constitutions seemed undermined by a previous
course of dissipation and debauchery. The conversation became very loud,
very involved, and though highly seasoned with emphatic oaths, very
insipid; and leaving with Cha--who seemed somewhat uneasy that my eye
should be upon their meeting in its hour of weakness--money enough to
clear off my share of the reckoning, I stole out to the King's Park, and
passed an hour to better purpose among the trap rocks than I could
possibly have spent it beside the trap-door of that tavern party. I am
not aware that a single individual, save the writer, is now living; its
very dog did not live out half his days. His owner was alarmed one
morning, shortly after this time, by the intelligence that a dozen of
sheep had been worried during the night on