Htinting the Wild Stag, 69 



sportsman he is, comes riding leisurely along Colonel 

 Anstruther Thomson, Master of the Fife Hounds, 

 and past Master of the Pytchley and iitherstone, 

 who has come on a visit to the Rev. J. Russel, in 

 order to join in the sport. Then a well-known and 

 hard-riding man from the shires is seen in the person 

 of Captain Elmhirst, who subsequently is to be seen 

 im a good place during the short spin we had from 

 Cloutsham. Several deer are found and hunted for 

 a considerable time by the tufters, but they were 

 unable to drive one away from the dense cover of 

 the lovely Combe that lies at our feet ; and 

 " Arthur " blows his horn and calls them off to try 

 his chance elsewhere. 



During the whole morning rain fell, with but few 

 minutes' intermission, and it was only between the 

 storms that a view from this lovely spot was'obtainable. 

 Before us is Porlock Bay ; across the British Channel 

 the Welsh coast is discernible; to the right the 

 steep Holms of Weston-super-Mare, and inland the 

 noble range of the Quantock Hills. Then we descend 

 a precipitous pathway, ride along a lovely lane, and 

 gallop up a tremendously steep hill, and find our- 

 selves close to the huntsman. 



A short time only elapses, when a view halloo is 

 heard, and a deer breaks cover and goes away in the 

 direction of Dunkerry Beacon, followed by five 

 couples of tufters ; but doubling back he runs a 

 racing pace over the heather, making for the 

 road leading to Exford, after crossing which the 

 tufters are stopped, in order that the body of the 

 pack may be brought up and laid on. This being 

 done, we gallop along in a blinding rain, and finally 



