[Illustration:  THE SEAL OF THE CROSS CHURCH.]

We passed many castles and towers and other ancient fortifications along its banks, the first being at Horsburgh, where the castle looked down upon a grass field called the Chapelyards, on which formerly stood the chapel and hospice of the two saints, Leonard and Lawrence.  At this hospice pilgrims from England were lodged when on their way to Peebles to attend the feasts of the “Finding of the Cross” and the “Exaltation of the Cross,” which were celebrated at Beltane and Roodmass respectively, in the ancient church and monastery of the Holy Cross.  It was said that King James I of England on his visits to Peebles was also lodged here, and it is almost certain the Beltane Sports suggested to him his famous poem, “Peebles to the Play,” one of its lines being: 

  Hope Kailzie, and Cardrona, gathered out thickfold,
  Singing “Hey ho, rumbelow, the young folks were full bold.”

both of which places could be seen from Horsburgh Castle looking across the river.

We saw the Tower of Cardrona, just before entering the considerable village, or town, of Innerleithen at six miles from Peebles, and although the time was so early, we met many people on their way to the fair.  Just before reaching Innerleithen we came to a sharp deep bend in the river, which we were informed was known as the “Dirt Pot” owing to its black appearance.  At the bottom of this dark depth the silver bells of Peebles were supposed to be lying.  We also saw Glennormiston House, the residence of William Chambers, who, with his brother, Robert, founded Chambers’s Journal of wide-world fame, and authors, singly and conjointly, of many other volumes.  The two brothers were both benefactors to their native town of Peebles, and William became Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and the restorer of its ancient Cathedral of St. Giles’s.  His brother Robert died earlier in that very year in which we were walking.  We reached Innerleithen just as the factory operatives were returning from breakfast to their work at the woollen factories, and they seemed quite a respectable class of people.  Here we called at the principal inn for our own breakfast, for which we were quite ready, but we did not know then that Rabbie Burns had been to Innerleithen, where, as he wrote, he had from a jug “a dribble o’ drink,” or we should have done ourselves the honour of calling at the same place.  At Innerleithen we came to another “Bell-tree Field,” where the bell hung on the branch of a tree to summon worshippers to church, and there were also some mineral springs which became famous after the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s novel, St. Ronan’s Well.

[Illustration:  TRAQUAIR HOUSE.]