CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 123 



work with which they had to contend. Mr Luxton 

 continued to hunt durino- the spring of 1851, and in 

 the autumn of that year, Captain West, who kept a 

 pack of staghounds in the neighbourhood of Bath, 

 with which he hunted the 'carted' deer, accepted 

 the offer of a subscription, and came to our aid. 

 The pack was hunted through the autumn by ' Sam,' 

 who had had the command of Mr Theobakl's pack, 

 and gradually the hounds overcame the many 

 difficulties which they had to encounter, and showed 

 some excellent sport. At first the water-huntino- 

 puzzled them sorely ; no less did they seem amazed 

 at the tremendous bank-fences, which, indeed, are 

 equally incomprehensible to the up-country horse 

 and rider. Captain West, during his sojourn, 

 constandy and earnestly inculcated the doctrine, that 

 it was a disgrace to the country to seek foreign aid, 

 and expressed himself most anxious to see an 

 indigenous sportsman, with a pack of hounds in 

 his own kennel, holding the command of the 

 country. 



He hoped not in vain, for in the autumn of 

 1852, Mr Thomas Carew of Colipriest, then master 

 of the Tiverton foxhounds, took the command. 

 John Beal held the horn, but learnt that the most 

 ample and accurate knowledge of fox-hunting is not. 



