CHAPTER XII. 



RIDING AT STAG-HOUNDS. 



I HAVE purposely altered the preposition at the heading 

 of this, because it treats of a method so entirely different 

 from that which I have tried to describe in the preceding 

 chapter. At the risk of rousing animadversion from an 

 experienced and scientific majority, I am prepared to 

 affirm that there is nearly as much intelligence and 

 knowledge of the animal required to hunt a deer as a 

 fox, but in following the chase of the larger and higher- 

 scented quadruped there are no fixed rules to guide a 

 rider in his course, so that if he allows the hounds to 

 get out of sight he may gallop over any extent of 

 country till dark, and never hear tidings of them again. 

 Therefore it has been said, one should ride to fox-hounds, 

 but at stag-hounds, meaning that with the latter, skill 

 and science are of little avail to retrieve a mistake. 



Deer, both wild and tame, so long as they are fresh, 

 seem perfectly indifferent whether they run up wind or 



