THE nl'ANTOCKS. 239 



away, and betaken himself to more fashionable fields. The 

 scribbler of course has his occupation, and must be, or 

 may be, a hermit ex officio. But even he has his readers to 

 consider, and must not quite trample their patience under- 

 foot. For my part, I consider two days' hunting a week is only 

 just enough to make }'ou want more; and tends only to whet 

 your appetite, and render you restless and idle on the off days. 

 I am tired of picking shells and I never cared about picking- 

 shrimps. I forgot to bring down a gun, or possibly I might 

 have been caught poaching a rabbit. There are said to be 

 trout in the West Country ; but none of them stray near this 

 seagirt hamlet. Indeed, for lack of more exhilarating occupation, 

 most of my many spare hours are spent in a loose box — there to 

 study at leisure a splendid instance of the incisive power of 

 Somerset stone, as used by the natives in revetting their hedge- 

 banks. The subject is my best horse (we always say it is " our 

 best " ), who in letting himself quietly down (as any sensible 

 animal would) from the top of a moorland wall, tore skin and 

 flesh away, almost from fetlock to hock. I mention this (the 

 result of the single risk to which your careful correspondent 

 has exposed himself) solely in the hopes of deterring adven- 

 turous strangers from indulgence in the hazardous pleasure of 

 " throwing a lep," daring their sojourn in the West. The 

 prudent principle of "going round/' is here exemplified with 

 clearest force. The delight of a jump has no place among the 

 attributes of the Chase of the Wild Stag. Thus, the horse for 

 this country may be built on totally different lines from such as 

 are wont to catch the foxhunting eye. As Capri Bianco is the 

 wine for South Italy, while in Sicily you swallow Marsala with 

 gusto, so the Somersetshire horse is the nag for Exmoor. His 

 shoulders are short, his appearance is mean, but his manners 

 are excellent. " Stuggy " and sturdy, he may have the blood of 

 Katerfelto ; but he shows it rather in his powers of endurance 

 and bottom than in comeliness of shape or refinement of appear- 

 ance. But he can hustle through the heather, slide down 

 precipitous declivities, clamber out of rough combes all day, 



