CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 173 



positions of these members of the poaching fraternity 

 will probably seal the fate, by slugs or bullet, of at 

 least one stag; it will be fortunate, indeed, if many 

 should not be mortally wounded or permanently 

 injured, in the attempt to secure the prize for which 

 you have, possibly in a thoughtless moment, bar- 

 gained with an idle and lawless marauder. A few 

 years ago, when the deer inhabited the Brcndon 

 coverts in greater numbers than at present, many a 

 good stag was destroyed by the poacher's hand. 

 The heads were sold in Linton and Lynmouth, and 

 possibly at this moment adorn the ' villas ' of some 

 respectable cheesemongers or grocers, or other 

 choice spirits of cockneydom. Pity it is that the 

 proud owners of the coveted trophies should be 

 ignorant of the fate of those labouring men, who, by 

 their instigation, and by the promise of their gold, 

 were induced to become poachers. The offence, 

 when discovered (and it could not be kept secret), 

 was not likely to be overlooked by a well-disposed 

 farmer, who prided himself on being able to show 

 the country a deer upon his land. The man who 

 would kill a stag for gold, would, it was argued, 

 soon be brought to doubt the immorality of slaughter- 

 ing a sheep, without any strict regard to the differ- 

 ence between ' meum' and ' tiium,' and the exodus 



