232 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



farmer living close by the road, told us he saw the deer 

 more than half a mile below his house ; the hounds were 

 taken down, but we could not recover him. The next 

 day this same man boasted that he had ' sold the stag- 

 hunters,' for he saw the deer cross the road into a field of 

 corn, and lie down close to the spot he broke from the 

 stream ; and in order that no injury might be done to his 

 corn, he sent them half a mile below to look after him. 

 I mention this circumstance, that masters of hounds may 

 not be led away by reports, but trust more to their hounds 

 than some stag-hunters do. This same stag was found 

 on ist October at Willcombe, in the parish of Charles, 

 and killed after a good run at Head Weir, in the parish 

 of Kingsnympton. He was very thin, although, at least, 

 a ten-year old deer, not having recovered the run to 

 Torrington, although seven weeks previous. Mr. Harris 

 of Barnstaple killed his horse during this run. 



In the spring of 1802 Colonel Bassett's health pre- 

 vented his hunting, and on the 4th of April he sent two 

 couple of his old hounds and four couple of unentered 

 puppies to Lord Sandwich. A couple of old hounds, 

 ' Kingvvood ' and ' Lilly,' were taken to Dunster Castle, 

 and one couple to Major Barber. The colonel kept the 

 remainder of the pack until the 22nd of August, and 

 then gave them to the late Earl Fortescue. On the 17th 

 of October, the colonel died at Bratton. Lord Fortescue 

 hunted from the ist of October ; but took no deer. On 

 the 1 2th of the month, the Honourable Newton Fellowes 

 joined the little pack with twelve couple of his fox- 

 hounds. A very good stag was found in Burridge 

 Wood, close to the town of Dulverton, and a fine chase 

 took place over Northmoor to Whiterocks ; crossed to 



