290 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



so hard pressed as to leave it directly for Pixey Copse ; 

 threading it, he broke again for the Exe, and now beat 

 down stream, and the pack ran him well to Exebridge ; 

 below this he again came to water, and kept the middle 

 of the river to Oakford Weir ; the pack faulted on the 

 water ; he broke from it for Valdridge plantation ; they 

 now fresh found him, and he was soon obliged to retrace 

 his steps again to the Wearpool. Here one of the most 

 picturesque scenes that could be witnessed occurred, viz., 

 the stag, with the pack at his haunches, swimming up and 

 down the deep water for at least half an hour, the banks 

 of the river lined by at least two hundred spectators, 

 whilst Mr. C. H. Gardner, of the Green, Dulverton, with 

 Mr. Minchin, junior (in a boat kept near the spot by the 

 latter), rowed up and down in the vain attempt to head- 

 rope him ; at length, quite exhausted, he was driven 

 under the bank, when a sportsman dismounted, caught 

 him with his whip, dexterously thrown over the horn ; 

 the foot-people then plunged in and secured him ; an 

 old heavy deer, with nearly three inches of fat on his 

 haunches. 



August 2ist, 1857. — The fixture Culbone. A good 

 stag was reported in the wood under Twitching, which 

 turned out correct. The tufters soon found, and he 

 attempted twice to break on the hill, but on both occa- 

 sions got blanched ; on his second appearance the pack 

 was laid on him, and ran him well for nearly half an hour 

 through the covert. Five or six couples of hounds were 

 now seen on the beach, and on looking out to sea, a 

 deer was discovered ; a messenger was now sent to 

 Porlock Weir for a boat, which was seen to take the 

 deer. It was of course concluded to be the old stag, 



