THE CHASE OF THE WILD DEER. 147 



was again at Haddon. The harbourer reported a 

 stag to be lying in Huscombe Wood, close to his 

 own cottage. The tufters found him at once, and as 

 he broke, we of the field, waiting on the opposite 

 hill, could plainly see he was a one-horned stag. To 

 put the matter beyond all doubt, he took us field 

 for field, the same line as he had done three weeks 

 before. But I anticipate. 



The Master came for the pack, the tufters having 

 been duly stopped at a farm called Greenslade. The 

 field clattered after the pack down the rough road, 

 and at twelve o'clock they were laid on. They 

 commenced to run at once at a truly terrific pace, 

 and this time it was all sound going, grass fields and 

 big banks, and plenty of handy gates for those who 

 preferred them. 



We rose the slopes of Blagdon Hill, and emerged 

 on some common-like land through which the West 

 Somerset Mineral Railway runs. This we crossed 

 near Gupworthy, and on to a little heather at Lype 

 Hill, hounds driving as hard as ever. Here Arthur 

 gets his second horse, and leads the way for a while, 

 hounds making as if for Dunkery Beacon, which now 

 towers above us, and on whose eastern slope we 

 exchange grass for heather again. 



The change of ground makes no difference in 

 the pace, and hounds run as fast as ever. Through 

 the Parsonage Wood they crash, and just below 

 Horner Mill they set up the stag, at exactly a quarter 

 past one. The run up to here was nearly fourteen 

 miles as the crow flies, so that the pace was decidedly 



L 2 



