152 GUN, RIFLE, AND HOUND. 



the fence close to me and galloped across the heather. 

 The tufters were promptly stopped, and the red deer 

 were given up for that day. 



Tufting for the more common object of chase 

 now commenced, and a single doe having at last 

 been got away, the pack were laid on at one o'clock. 

 The doe ran for some time through the woods, and 

 then crossed the heath near Ocknell Pond and 

 plunged once more into the woods the other side. 

 At a quarter to two, after a smart gallop, the hounds 

 pulled down a fawn which, unknown to us, had been 

 running with her. No unnecessary time was lost 

 over this yearling, but the old doe had got a good 

 bit of law before they were on her line again. 

 Hounds continued to run merrily over a country 

 which was then entirely unknown to me. Suffice it 

 to say the going varied only from the muddy rides 

 through the big woodlands, to the more pleasant 

 spins across the heather. At last, after running for 

 three hours all but ten minutes, we killed. It was a 

 remarkably fine doe, and the run was as good a one 

 as I was fated to see with these hounds. 



The Master was most anxious to kill a hind, 

 and again and again were whole mornings spent in 

 tufting for them. On the following Thursday, after 

 a long gallop with the tufters, we succeeded in 

 separating a hind. The pack was laid on, ran hard 

 for five-and-twenty minutes, and unfortunately changed 

 on to three does. Our chance of sport was over, but, 

 worse still, part of the pack got on to a buck and 



