8o Hark Away, 



time, told me that the drift was 25 feet deep on his 

 farm. When the snow melted he found a hind 

 bnried in the same place with his pony and sheep. 



A quiet little town is Dulverton, and the popula- 

 tion, if small in numbers, is prone to hospitality — 

 genial, and jovial beyond all doubt. The river 

 Barle flows between the high hills that surround 

 this tranquil place, wandering and babbling on, 

 until it joins with the river Exe. Looking down 

 upon the town is Pixton Park, the seat of the Earl 

 of Carnarvon, from whence a lovely view of the 

 surrounding country is obtained. The house has 

 no pretensions to beauty, but has every appearance 

 of comfort, and is being largely added to. A herd 

 of fallow deer wander amongst the tall fern, or rest 

 beneath the shade of the lovely limes, beeches, and 

 chestnuts that exceed in beauty, shape, and growth 

 any I have ever seen elsewhere. On the following 

 morning I rode over to the kennels at Exford, in 

 order to look over the old and new packs of hounds ; 

 or, 1 should have said, in reference to the old pack, 

 what remains of them, for an outbreak of rabies 

 during the past summer made sad havoc with these 

 valuable animals. Twelve couples in all were lost 

 through this attack of hydrophobia, and every pre- 

 caution is yet taken against a return of the disorder. 

 In a paddock, each hound being chained up to an 

 ordinary dog kennel, we found sixteen and a half 

 couples of fine animals. These are kept separate 

 from the twenty-seven couple of young hounds that 

 Mr. Bissett has obtained from all the most noted 

 kennels in England. These hounds naturally re- 

 quire time to become handy and accustomed to 



