CHASE OF WILD DEEE IN ENGLAND 137 



and running over the stony beach, plunged into the 

 Severn Sea, followed by the pack, and disappeared 

 from our sight round the great cliffs of Bossington 

 Point. Time, one hour and forty-five minutes from 

 the moment hounds were laid on. 



What was to be done ? No boat was available, 

 but our Master was a man of resource. A coasting 

 schooner was beating down Channel on the ebb-tide, 

 and at her next tack she was hailed. 



" Will you lend us a boat to take our stag ? " 



" Your what ? " 



" The deer. Send your boat ashore and you shall 

 have a sovereign." 



This was plain enough to anybody, and smartly 

 the craft Avas hove to and her boat lowered. Two 

 hands rowed ashore to us, and Anthony was put 

 on board and started in pursuit of the stag. Some 

 time elapsed before the boat returned with the stag 

 in tow, and landing him just where he had left the 

 shore, he soon yielded up his life. The boatmen, 

 who said they had never seen a stag before, were 

 much interested, but had to hasten on board their 

 craft not to lose the tide. 



The stag proved to be a very old one with hardly 

 any points on his perfect horn. In other words, he 

 w^as what is called a '' bater," because his antlers, 

 having attained in previous years their perfection 

 of twelve or more points, have commenced to abate 

 some of their number. The broken horn was only 

 about eight inches long, and attached to it was 

 another piece of about the same length swinging 

 loose, and attached only by skin. This horn had 

 only one point, the " brow." 



Meanwhile the ladies, who had gone so well in 



