STAG-HUNTING 267 



expected to do that work. It seems to me, how- 

 ever, that those who are very keen about this 

 sport and follow the staghounds regularly, ought 

 to make themselves acquainted with the harbourer's 

 art, and be able to read the signs of a footprint 

 as easily as the letters on this page. For the 

 thorough enjoyment of any sport a man should 

 be familiar with every little detail affecting it, 

 and the greater his knowledge the greater will 

 be his pleasure. 



Of course, the man like myself who goes down 

 in the autumn for a day or two on Exmoor, 

 and is not a regular follower of the hunt, cannot 

 be expected to know anything ; but I think the 

 man who styles himself a stag-hunter ought to be 

 able to harbour a deer. It seems to me all part 

 of the business — a most important item in that 

 branch of venery, and, I should think, very in- 

 teresting, though perhaps a trifle arduous. There 

 is no technical detail that is beneath the notice 

 and study of any one who loves the sport he 

 pursues. 



It is perhaps one of the greatest pleasures in 

 hunting to find your way across-country and after 

 hounds entirely dependent on your own resources 



