14 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



hinds. In January 1811, he resigned the command 



to Lord Graves of Bishop's Court, near Exeter. 



His Lordship hunted the hounds but one season, and 



I have no authentic record of the number of deer 



killed by the hounds during his mastership. In 



181 2, the late Lord Fortescue again kept the 



hounds, and continued master up to the year 1818, 



killing in the six years 90 deer — 42 stags and 48 



hinds. Those again were glorious days. The halls 



of Castle Hill rang merrily with the wassail of the 



hunters, and many a pink issued from the hospitable 



seats of the neighbouring squires, on the bright 



autumn mornings, to participate in the pleasures of 



the chase. When a good stag had been killed, the 



custom was for James Tout, the huntsman, to enter 



the dining-room at Castle Hill after dinner in full 



costume, with his horn in his hand, and after he 



had sounded a mort, * Success to stag-hunting ' was 



solemnly drunk by the assembled company in port 



wine, 



' Whose father grape grew fat 

 On Lusitanian summers ;' 



after which Tout again retired ' to his own place,' 

 and rested himself after the labours of the day in 

 company with one or two favourites, whose escape 

 from the kennel had been connived at. There, 



