TRACKING DEER BY SLOT. 119 



antlers, and rather than run in upon these 

 weapons, the hounds will pass him and seek 

 another. Though pressed by all the tufters, 

 the stag will seldom break cover at once, 

 but resorts to every artifice rather than leave 

 it. He leads them to and fro the wood ; 

 the huntsman and harbourer follow as 

 best they may on horseback, and often find 

 it rude riding, as the boughs are wet with 

 dew. 



A runnable stag always has a younger 

 companion with him, who feeds with him, 

 accompanies him, and lies near him in cover. 

 The two are always together, inseparable ; 

 the younger one is not of age to be called a 

 stag, but is said to be a young male deer, or 

 in the ancient language of the chase, a brocke 

 or brocket. When the full-grown stag finds 

 that the hounds, or tufters, are really follow- 

 ing him up and down, he turns on his friend 

 and companion, and by might of antlers 

 forces the young deer to take his place, and 

 break cover for him. This occurs almost in- 



