114 THE RED DEER OF EXMOOR. 



horses to have lived with hounds if they had crossed 

 all the bad ground. As it was, horses were so blown 

 at Badgworthy that the Acting Master, Mr. Greig, 

 and the huntsmen w'ere thankful for their second 

 horses. Hounds never checked a moment and raced 

 straight away to Mill Hill, down Hawkcombe, and 

 came to a first check by Porlock Church. The 

 hind had jumped the big churchyard wall, about 8ft. 

 high, into the narrow church lane, which brought 

 her out into the centre of the village. Hounds were 

 soon on her line and raced her down the road to 

 West Porlock, when she turned across the vale and 

 went to sea just before hounds exactly at twelve 

 o clock, one hour and five minutes from the start. 



From Swincombe to Porlock Church is a I2-| 

 mile point, to which must be added for the turn 

 from Longstone to Swincombe, and from Porlock 

 to the sea about two miles. This makes 14^ 

 miles in sixty-five minutes, without allowing for 

 other additions. It would be hard to find a gallop 

 to beat this for pace, and it was small wonder that 

 none but the fresh horses from Badgworthy were 

 actually with hounds when they came to Porlock, 

 though a few cast up afterwards. 



This kind of run is, of course, quite exceptional, 

 and the morte is rarely sounded over a hind before 

 hounds have been hunting her, or her companions, 

 for many hours. Though they begin hunting at ten 

 o'clock without waiting a moment for late comers, it is 

 more often than not that the short winter afternoon 



