274 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



nearing the bank he was secured by a sportsman throw- 

 ing his whip over his antlers. He proved a fat old deer, 

 weighing over seventeen stone, and was killed just below 

 the three-mile stone on the Tiverton turnpike road lead- 

 ing from Bampton ; one of his haunches was sent to the 

 Red Lion Inn, at Dulverton, for the hunt dinner. 



August 11///, 1846. — The stag-hunting for the season 

 commenced this day, with Dulverton the fixture. A good 

 array of sportsmen for a first meet greeted the master, 

 and were not disappointed of sport, as the following 

 account will prove. The woods around Dulverton were 

 drawn blank, and late in the afternoon the hounds were 

 thrown into North Hawkridge Wood. They soon found, 

 and the stag broke over the ridge for the Danesbrook, 

 and beat up as if going for Exmoor ; but before reaching 

 Lyshwell, broke out on Anstey Common, and pointed for 

 the Holland coverts; but on gaining the top of the hill, 

 he turned short to the left, and afforded a fine gallop of 

 five miles back over East and West Anstey Commons 

 and Northmoor to Marsh Bridge, trying the mettle of 

 both horses and hounds. After soiling in the Barle, he 

 broke over Marsh farm for Court Down and Heatheridge, 

 and then through Stockham Wood and Execleave, reached 

 the river Exe below Baronsdown ; he now broke for the 

 Haddon woods, which he would not leave, and after a 

 chase of three hours, he was run into and killed at Har- 

 ford. For the first day of the season the hounds did 

 their work well, although they were rather low in flesh. 



October 6th. — Park End Gate, Cothelstone, on the 

 Quantocks, was the fixture for this day's sport. The morn- 

 ing was very wet, which prevented the tufters finding so 

 readily as they otherwise would. About three P.M. a stag 



