APPENDIX 227 



escaping from them. He broke from them, and then ran 

 in view over the ridge and through North Hawkridgc 

 Wood on to the Barle at Threewaters ; he now went up 

 stream to Ashwayham, and broke from it to the left and 

 up through Rowdown Coppice on to Hawkridge Common ; 

 the hounds viewed him part of the way to Willingford, 

 and no doubt he would have gone to Longwood and 

 Northmolton had he not been headed ; he now turned 

 back for the Hawkridge coverts, and came to water under 

 North Barton Wood, and beat up the river to Batsham ; 

 broke again on the left, and by Greystone enclosures 

 gained Withypoole Hill, crossed from it to Brightworthy 

 Down, and then turned to the right towards Sandyway, 

 as if still determined to make for the Northmolton 

 coverts, but shortly inclined to the right for Ferneyball, 

 passing over it for Cow Castle, went down stream for 

 a short distance, and broke from it into Birdcombe and 

 lay fast in the heath. The hounds hunted the deer from 

 the river and threw up in Birdcleave ; on casting round 

 he leapt up in the midst of them, and they viewed him 

 down the valley, sometimes in the river, and often by its 

 banks down to Withypoole, a distance of two miles, 

 where they killed him. He turned out very vicious for 

 so early in the season, and wounded many of the 

 hounds. 



1799. — In the spring. Colonel Bassett luckily took back 

 Joe Faulkner (who had been dismissed in the previous 

 year), but not as huntsman. The distemper had caused 

 great havoc in the pack, and without Joe's aid and skill 

 in this malady, no hunting could have taken place. 

 Through his exertions the hounds were brought into the 

 field on May loth, and killed a hind, after a tolerably fast 



