WITH HORSE AND HOUND 



hare had left the road, when they turned to the right and once 

 more we were racing on the rough moorland. It seemed 

 certain that the hare was making for the depths of Luscombe 

 Wood, an enormous covert, and the huntsman with one de- 

 tachment of the field rode for that, while I with the remainder 

 kept as near as possible to hounds, now running hard. A nasty 

 fence caused us almost to lose hounds, such was the pace they 

 were going, but I just caught sight of old black-and-tan 

 Gambler doing his best to catch up the body of the pack outside 

 the wood which hounds never entered. 



" They have gone for Dawlish town," cried a labourer from a 

 high bank as we swept past him ; and presently one of the field 

 saw them "miles ahead," driving up the mound on which Dawlish 

 reservoir is situated. Wire and locked gates in a country then 

 (fourteen years ago) entirely new to us caused loss of time, 

 but when we got up to and beyond the reservoir I saw to my 

 relief the hounds at check not far below, in a large field of 

 wheat. Just as I was going to take hold of them, the hunts- 

 man — who had had a terribly rough journey from Luscombe 

 Wood — arrived : he made a bold forward cast and hit off the 

 line at a gate. From here hounds simply flew ; crossing 

 Secmaton Trench, which bothered us all considerably, they 

 raced to Langdon Lodge on the Dawlish and Starcross road, 

 where they came to a decided check. Something was said 

 about a holloa forward, but I heard nothing myself, and feeling 

 sure the hare had thrown up close by, persevered in trying 

 every hedgerow and bit of covert. It was in vain, and I had 

 just given the word for home when a groom, riding bare-backed, 

 galloped up and said he had seen the hare on the Warren, where 

 the golf links are : his was the holloa that had been heard. 

 After such a run as she had given I felt sure that if we did not 

 have the hare, some one else would : so to the utter astonish- 

 ment of the golfers and the crowd on the sea front of Exmouth 

 just across the Exe, we galloped up to the hnks and hit off the 

 line in a moment. The hare soon got up under my horse, and 

 I never saw one so black ; she ran as strong as ever, though, 



54 



