APPENDIX 287 



soiling, kept up the valley for the vicarage of Morebath, 

 and spent a few minutes with the vicar's cows ; but find- 

 ing no comfort he determined to return to his old haunts, 

 viz., the Haddon coverts, which, no doubt, had afforded 

 him shelter and protection from his birth ; he reached 

 them by passing over Hayne farm, Buckleys and Chappie 

 farms, to Hadburrow. The hospitality of Mrs. Sanger to 

 the wearied sportsmen as they passed Haddon House will 

 be long remembered, and too many regret that the good 

 cheer here found induced them to give up the chase, 

 thinking, no doubt, from the previous cold hunting for an 

 hour, that the stag would not be brought to bay ; but 

 patience and perseverance can effect wonders, and the few 

 that held on the chase to the last were rewarded with 

 a death by candlelight — the only one I ever witnessed on 

 the hunting-field. The hounds hit the stag on Haddon 

 Hill, and carried the scent through Harford Cleave to the 

 river below. It was now all headwork ; for Tom Webber 

 and a few other old hunters, who never give up whilst a 

 chance remains, knew full well that every dodge would 

 be tried by the stag to save his life ; it was determined, 

 after consulting, to cast the hounds down stream, but for 

 over a quarter of a mile no hound opened, and then but 

 faintly ; three-quarters of a mile further was tried without 

 acknowledgment from the pack, and the sportsmen began 

 to think he might have broken behind them (although 

 they had taken the precaution to have hounds both sides 

 of the Haddeo) ; but as Bury village was now but half a 

 mile further down, it was agreed to go on thus far. 

 Before reaching it the hounds acknowledged the scent 

 and carried it into Birchwood ; in a few minutes all was 

 life and activity ; they fresh found the deer, and for an 



