THE HUNTED STAG. 127 



and scarlet coats seem to toil slowly, mov- 

 ing in the midst of this immensity, as it 

 lakes them a long time to cover the space 

 which the eye grasps instantaneously. The 

 pace is really sharp, varying of course with 

 the stag's condition. They are sometimes so 

 fat from feeding on ripe wheat they cannot 

 get up speed — at another time they go like 

 the wind ; much, too, depends on the age. 



At the opening of the season the general 

 hunting is not so good as it becomes in a 

 week or two. The velvet is scarcely off 

 some of the stags' antlers (they cannot run 

 far while in velvet); the pack is not settled 

 down to its work, at least the young hounds 

 have not, the ground is hot, and the heather 

 sometimes cuts their feet. As the season 

 advances the hunting improves and the pace 

 increases, so that those who desire to see it in 

 its glory should not go down for a week or 

 two. Besides hurting their feet on the wiry 

 heather, hounds cut them on rocks, and are 

 occasionally stung by adders. A stag usually 



