The only guest who had chalked out
other sport for himself was the staunchest of anglers, Mr.
Rose; but he too was there on his _shelty_, armed with his
salmon-rod and landing-net, and attended by his humorous
squire, Hinves, and Charlie Purdie, a brother of Tom, in
those days the most celebrated fisherman of the district.
This little group of Waltonians, bound for Lord Somerville's
preserve, remained lounging about to witness the start of
the main cavalcade. Sir Walter, mounted on Sybil, was
marshalling the order of procession with a huge
hunting-whip; and among a dozen frolicsome youths and
maidens, who seemed disposed to laugh at all discipline,
appeared, each on horseback, each as eager as the youngest
sportsman in the troop, Sir Humphry Davy, Dr. Wollaston, and
the patriarch of Scottish _belles lettres_, Henry Mackenzie.
The Man of Feeling, however, was persuaded with some
difficulty to resign his steed for the present to his
faithful negro follower, and to join Lady Scott in the
sociable, until we should reach the ground of our _battue_.
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