362 THE RED DEER OE EXMOOR. 



is of very rare occurrence, but in case a horse does 

 fall it is well for the rider, if he has let go of his 

 reins, to lose no time in getting hold of them again. 

 Exmoor is a large place in which to catch a loose 

 horse. 



To get lost on Exmoor in daylight is next to 

 impossible except in a fog, but now that there are 

 plenty of accurate pocket-maps, it is a wise precau- 

 tion for a stranger to carry one, always bearing in 

 mind that all maps are positively misleading unless 

 the points of the compass are known. A rough and 

 ready way to fix the South when the sun is shining is to 

 point the hour hand of a watch to the sun — half-way 

 between that and twelve o'clock is South. In a fog, 

 or at night, little can be done but to go on till a 

 stream is reached and then follow it downwards. 

 Water always runs to civilisation eventually. It is 

 worth remembering, even in a light mist, that it is 

 essential when in doubt to know the direction one has 

 come in. If on foot lay a stick down or make two 

 marks, if on horseback, keep the horse steady and 

 turn in the saddle to look about. If the direction in 

 which one has come is lost, the last basis is gone 

 upon which one can decide in which direction to go, 

 and this is how most people lose their way. 



Crossing the moor at night is not as a rule difficult 

 in the summer; horses can see better than their 

 riders think, and it is seldom that there is no light. 

 Durine hind hunting^ in the winter, when it is some- 

 times absolutely dark, it is far otherwise, but it is 



