70 Hark Away, 



lose the deer near Stoke, after a short rim, and the 

 hounds are trotted home. Brief as this run was, it 

 was long enough to give one an idea of the difficulty 

 which besets the stranger in this land. He should 

 be endowed with good nerve who would ride with 

 the Devon and Somerset, He must not be afraid to 

 go the pace, though his horse is galloping up to his 

 hocks in the blooming heather, rattling down the 

 steep hills, greasy with the heavy rain that has 

 fallen throughout the day, or clattering over the 

 stony land, as he does his best to keep within a fair 

 distance of these noble hounds. No, Devon and 

 Somerset are counties that are unsuitable for any 

 but hard-riding men, if they would live to hounds. 

 Then we turn our heads homewards and make for 

 Exford, where we halt for a while to give our nags 

 gruel, before starting for Dulverton, a distance of 

 ten miles. 



As soon as we start, the rain descends in torrents, 

 and as we cross Exmoor it sweeps over the wide 

 expanse of heather-clad land, causing a thick mist, 

 and drenching us to the very skin. There is no 

 shelter available, if we desire to avail ourselves of 

 it, and we trot swiftly along, following the same 

 route we traversed in the morning, arriving tired 

 and dripping in time for an excellent dinner, which 

 we did ample justice to. 



Thus ended my first day with the Devon and 

 Somerset. Of the sport, little can be said ; but on 

 the next occasion, the meet being in a beautiful 

 country, I hope to be able to record a run which will 

 illustrate the kind of sport which is usual when the 

 season is more advanced. Owing to hydrophobia 



