The Marquis de Chamhray's Hounds 301 



he could get on quite as well, and probably quite as fast and a 

 great deal more comfortably on foot. Fortunately, he kept 

 most of these thoughts to himself, but he evidently said or 

 looked enough to call from the Baron, "You shall see." 



The driver perched himself upon an improvised seat on the 

 dashboard, his feet braced against the crossbar of the shafts, 

 while the genial Baron and the writer occupied the blanket- 

 covered seat behind him. The traces were very slack and when 

 this great stallion went into the collar, the conveyance started 

 with a jerk that nearly upset us backwards. 



We followed along slowly in the procession. 



Meantime, the relays of hounds and riders had gone on to 

 take up their respective stations, similar to the method described 

 in starting the chase of the wild boar, two or three couple only 

 remaining with the INIaster, in charge of one of the hunt serv- 

 ants. These hounds, in England, are called "Tufters," and are 

 the most trusty and obedient hounds of the pack. These forests 

 are full of deer, therefore it is necessary to single out and get 

 the one to be hunted well away, before letting on the pack. 



The stags of full age are the ones to be hunted. Such a 

 one is located in the early hours of the morning, when, hke the 

 wild red deer of England, or the wild boar of France, he has 

 retired from his feeding ground to a quiet retreat in the forest, 

 there to enjoy liis cud and sleep, sometimes alone, but more 

 often in company of a number of other stags, or the younger 

 members of the tribe. 



To single out a warrantable stag from the number, and set 

 him well away with the "Tufters" to his line, requires, in these 

 great forests, great skill and woodcraft. 



Presently, we arrive at a place where there are deer tracks 

 crossing the road in such numbers as to suggest a flock of 

 sheep. The INIaster invites us to inspect the footprints made by 

 the stag we are following. Ladies and gentlemen alight from 

 their carriages, and many of the riders are also shown these 



