272 Ha7% Away. 



youths on bicycles pursued him relentlessly, until he 

 got into the open ; then Goodall, having contrived 

 to give the multitude the slip, laid on the hounds, 

 and they went away at a racing speed for about 

 fifteen minutes, when the deer, which had met with 

 an injury, having spiked himself in the shoulder, was 

 run into and taken at the vicarage adjacent to 

 Knowle Hill. This was sufficient to amuse the 

 holiday folks, and it is well that the custom should 

 be kept up, as it tends to popularise the sport by 

 allowing the public once or twice in the year to join 

 in hunting the stag. Of course there were many 

 spills, several ardent sportsmen, whose experience 

 evidently was limited, coming to grief. Fortunately 

 they were more frightened than hurt, though one 

 adventurous youth, on a long-tailed, out-of-condition 

 brute, had a narrow escape, the animal rearing in a 

 lane, and falling back with his rider into a ditch, 

 fortunately without injuring him. The presence of 

 bicyclists on such occasions is not to be eagerly 

 desired, as riding a very fine fresh young horse upon 

 which Mr. Sherley had mounted me, I found that he 

 arched his neck, eyeing them suspiciously, rendering 

 caution necessary, and I was not sorry when I had 

 passed safely by them. Of course all the dwellers in 

 the adjacent villages were in a state of excitement. 

 One youngster, a four-year-old, having eluded its 

 mother's watchful care, ran straight across the road 

 in front of my nag, then arose the " Hurried question 

 of despair, ' Where is my child ? ' and echo answers 

 ' Where ? ' " However, in this case the fears of the 

 alarmed parent were promptly allayed, as I pulled 

 up sharp, and the youngster escaped. Having 



