NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 19 
regard. For she came out of the great road at Lippock, which is 
just by, and,'reposing herself on a bank smoothed for that purpose, 
lying about half a mile to the east of Wolmer Pond, and still 
called Queen’s Bank, saw with great complacency and satisfaction 
the whole herd of red deer brought by the keepers along the vale 
before her, consisting then of about five hundred head. A sight 
this, worthy the attention of the greatest sovereign! But he farther 
adds that, by means of the Waltham blacks, or, to use his own 
expression, as soon as they began blacking, they were reduced to 
about fifty head, and so continued decreasing till the time of the 
late Duke of Cumberland. It is now more than thirty years ago 
that his Highness sent down an huntsman, and six yeoman-prickers, 
in scarlet jackets laced with gold, attended by the stag-hounds ; 
ordering them to take every deer in this forest alive, and to convey 
them in carts to Windsor. In the course of the summer they caught 
every stag, some of which showed extraordinary diversion : but in 
the following winter, when the hinds were also carried off, such fine 
chases were exhibited as served the country people for matter of 
talk and wonder for years afterwards. I saw myself one of the 
yeoman-prickers single out a stag from the herd, and must confess 
that it was the most curious feat of activity I ever beheld, superior 
to anything in Mr. Astley’s riding-school. The exertions made by 
the horse and deer much exceeded all my expectations ; though the 
former greatly excelled the latter in speed. When the devoted deer 
was separated from his companions, they gave him, by their 
watches, law, as they called it, for twenty minutes ; when, sound- 
ing their horns, the stop-dogs were permitted to pursue, and a most 
gallant scene ensued. 
