304 CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 



rattled him at their best pace, forced him to leave the 

 coverts, and in an hour brought him to bay in the river 

 Barle. He was taken and killed in Colford's Meadow, just 

 below the town of Dulverton, to the no small delight of the 

 inhabitants. He had all his rights with two on top on one 

 horn and three on the other, and was very fat ; this, with 

 the pace at starting, accounts for the shortness of the run. 



14//A — Blackmore's Lodge, the meet for this day's 

 sport. Jim had harboured a stag on Haddon Hill; he 

 was soon roused and the pack laid on ; they pressed him 

 so that he could not get from them ; and after crossing 

 for Upton Wood and then down the valley to Harford, 

 and on to near Clammer, he crossed into Padwells and 

 broke from it for the Exe, passing behind Baronsdown 

 House, and they killed him in forty minutes in Barledge 

 Meadow. He had all his rights, with a perfect horn and 

 three on top : he proved the fattest deer ever killed in 

 this neighbourhood. The coverts at Haddon were now 

 tufted, in the hope of finding another stag, but unsuccess- 

 fully up to four P.M., when the hounds were ordered home. 



September \%tJi. — Cloutsham again the fixture, and 

 again no stag could be roused. After tufting a couple of 

 hours the pack was laid on a hind ; the scent was good, 

 and they ran her over Stoke Pero and Exford Commons, 

 on to the North Forest ; from this she backed it for 

 Larkborough and Badgworthy Common, broke from it 

 on to Brendon Common, and then backed it to near 

 Two-gates, and now back over the North Forest again to 

 Pinford Bog; crossed Tumshill for Oare Common, and 

 again sought Badgworthy, but before reaching Brendon 

 Common, turned to the right and backed it for Badg- 

 worthy Wood ; broke from this over the hill on to 



