APPENDIX 241 



quit, and brought him in view back to the bridge and 

 down the water to the bottom of Stockham Wood, 

 where he was killed, after a good hunting run of two 

 hours and a half. He showed more cunning to elude 

 pursuit than is often met with. No doubt, at the first, 

 he turned out the young deer and lay down in his bed ; 

 when obliged to leave his lair he crossed the river 

 Barle for the Danesbrook, went to its junction with 

 the river, then entered the Barle again, and left it at 

 the same place he entered it, and lay fast in the wood 

 close by ; from this he beat all the coverts to Marsh Wood, 

 no doubt in the hope of turning out other deer ; this 

 failing, he sought other coverts on the Exe river, and 

 beat them with like success, and now tried the old trick 

 of keeping the middle of the river for half a mile ; none 

 but a very old deer resorts to such subterfuge. He had 

 an irregular head, brow antlers only, with two on top ; 

 this evidently shows that he was past his prime and 

 going back. 



September 2nd. — Found in Yarner W^ood. He attempted 

 to break up on to the Common, but was constantly 

 blanched by the foot-people at every point, and was 

 forced to go to sea, which he did under Porlock Wood, 

 the pack viewing him to the water's edge. A boat was 

 immediately sent in pursuit, and the field witnessed 

 from shore a very exciting chase. The deer beat the 

 boat, and landed about a yard before it. The pack 

 were on the beach, and soon got on him, ran him 

 through Culbone Wood to Silcombe, and through 

 Twitching and Yeanery Woods to Coscombe, now Glen- 

 thorne ; here he got on a rock, and kept the pack at 

 bay for over an hour, when, in attempting to turn round, 



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