CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 189 



field, but strict silence was preserved lest the deer 

 should again take to the sea and trust to the mercy 

 of his enemies on the water, rather than to that of 

 his foes on the land. Nor did the crew of the 

 vessel despair, for they still hovered about in the 

 hope of securing the venison. But they were 

 doomed to disappointment ; for as the water 

 receded, the hounds were brought to the beach and 

 bayed around the quarry, which standing on an 

 eminence among the crags above the shore, 



' On every side 

 Hemmed in, besieged — not the least opening left,' 



gazed anxiously and distrustfully on the scene 

 around him. At length some of the field approached 

 with caution, and with the aid of a rope succeeded 

 in capturing the deer ; and strange to say, almost 

 without difficulty, so completely was he exhausted 

 by the sharp burst over the open, and his efforts to 

 escape his pursuers on the sea. 



Instances are not wanting of deer having been 

 dashed to pieces, either by missing their foothold 

 when descending some steep and slippery 'coombe,' 

 or jumping from the cliffs above the sea on to the 

 rocky shore. Many a good hound, too, has perished 

 in daring the dangerous leap, and in the excitement 

 of the chase, the pursuer has shared the fate of the 



