1829.] The Royal Hunt. 1k 
the court, and that the pedestrians were either such as had been in the 
enjoyment of some of the good things of this life under the present 
family, or such as were in expectancy of them. There was a third class, 
altogether composed of the mob, who, partly incited by the desire of 
plunder, the love of idleness, or an indistinct hope of obtaining the 
entrails of the deer, flocked in great numbers to witness the feats of the 
royal party. Among this latter class, old men, old women, and very 
young boys predominated. 
The forest of Fontainbleau js in itself beautiful in the extreme. The 
various alleys formed by the manner in which the oak trees are planted, 
create an imposing and majestic coup-d’eil, which is only bounded 
almost by the horizon. At the bottom and in the middle of these alleys 
were placed mounted gendarmes, to restrain the intrusion of the popu- 
lace, and to prevent them from coming—such is French curiosity— 
within shot of the hunters. At the end of one of these alleys to my 
left the great body of the crowd was stationed, and at the top of it was 
an inclosed space, somewhat like a stand on a race course, on which the 
royal party took their station, while the carriages and servants remained 
quietly behind. Across this stand, and within the inclosed space, were 
the roe-buck, fawns, and young wild boar goaded, while the King, the 
Dauphin, the Duc de Grammont, and the rest of the royal party, had 
their shots in succession, or, as it is technically termed, their “ coup.” 
Ten men were busy charging for the King, while as many were 
j engaged for the Dauphin. Ammunition and cartridges were borne by 
t four attendants, who, as well as the chargers, were all in the livery of 
_ the King’s huntsmen. As shot after shot passed in quick succession, 
j the sounds fell chiefly on the ears of those among the crowd—and they 
were the fewer number—who had hearts within them, and to British 
feeling each reverberation brought a mingled sensation. In England, 
and in most other nations, whether civilized or savage, when an animal 
is hunted some chance at least of escape is given. Thé reader will bear 
_ in mind that the inclosed space around the stand was surrounded by a 
_ kind of chevaua de frize, six feet in height, so that the animal had not 
- the least chance of escape, and the work of destruction of course went 
_ rapidly on. 
Within 300 yards of the stand were placed a number of light carts, 
whose drivers vociferated loudly at the sound of each shot. These carts 
were placed for the purpose of carrying away the dead carcases, as they 
accumulated in quick succession within the inclosure. In the short in- 
terval of four hours I saw twenty-three of these carts filled with the 
_ produce of the slaughter, which, amidst deafening yells, was conveyed to 
_ the end of one of the alleys, where the bodies were deposited in order 
as they had been killed. In the first row those killed by the king him- 
self was ranged; and he numbered forty-six roe bucks, and one mar- 
cassin (young wild boar); the spoil of the dauphin was thirty-eight 
roe bucks, being eight less than his royal father, while the rest of the 
mpany destroyed among them fifty-four, making a grand total of 
138 roes, and one wild boar. 
While the carcases thus remained strewn on the ground, the work of 
isembowelling quickly proceeded. It was the business of one man to 
range the game in the order I have mentioned—another ripped open the 
body with a sharp knife, while a third party, to the amount of a dozen, 
were engaged in the disembowelling. 
The day, which hitherto was bright and glorious, now began to close 
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