i86 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



so long, that bets on the shore were made in favour 

 of the Porlock crew. Fortune, however, sided with 

 the trader ; the deer was secured and taken off to 

 Bristol, where she was exhibited in the market-place 

 to the curious at sixpence a head, a ' full, true and 

 particular narrative ' of the peculiar circumstances of 

 the capture being included. 



Another attempt, fortunately unsuccessful, to 

 deprive the sportsmen of their quarry was made in 

 1842. The late Mr John Knight, the proprietor of 

 Exmoor, had written to the then master of the 

 staghounds, to request that he would kill a good 

 stag for him, and forward the haunches to Kidder- 

 minster. A meet took place at Cloutsham at the 

 end of the stag-hunting season, but it proved a 

 blank, as no stag could be found. After consulta- 

 tion with the field, the master determined to try 

 his luck again the next day, and ordered the hounds 

 to be at Brendon Barton at ten o'clock. Unable to 

 hunt himself, he gave directions that the pack 

 should be under the control of Mr Esdaile of 

 Cothelstone, who at the time appointed was at the 

 meet, having had a canter of more than twenty 

 miles to covert-side ; the harbourer at once reported 

 that there were plenty of good stags about, but 

 that they were with hinds, and that it would be 



