TRACKING DEER BY SLOT. 117 



he walks up the shooting paths, or drives, 

 and so finds if the sta<? has crossed them. 

 There being no slot across these paths and 

 none at the places of exit, it is clear that 

 the stag must be in the copse, and that he 

 has gone to lie down in his former bed. 

 He is now harboured; and the harbonrer, 

 certain of his game, hastens to his home or inn 

 for breakfast, and immediately afterwards 

 rides to the meet to give his report to the 

 huntsman. Unless he be disturbed, the stag is 

 almost sure to remain in harbour, but it has 

 once now and then happened that he has 

 moved to an adjacent wood. Sometimes a 

 watcher is left to see if this occurs or not ; but 

 as a rule, once harboured, the stag is safe in 

 hand. 



At the meet the pack is now waiting 

 shut up in a farmyard ; so soon as the har- 

 bonrer comes, the huntsman takes out six 

 or eight couples of hounds to draw the 

 cover, leaving the rest of the pack still con- 

 fined. The hounds selected to draw the 



