36 llEMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



saw the glaring eyes of the stag fix on me with that 

 peculiar lopping to the front of the ears which always 

 portends a charge ; and on he came, meeting the chest 

 of Jack with one of his horns, knocking my horse on 

 his tail, and himself over, rolling away past my right 

 foot. Jack did not seem at the time much hurt, and 

 the stafi: rose as well as ever ere a hound could 

 reach him, and on we went again till the beaten deer 

 plunged into a pond at the top of the lane, and was 

 safely taken. The stag secured, my eyes fell on 

 the chest of my favourite horse, and there I beheld 

 the skin distended with extravasated blood, and 

 hanging down to the extent of a moderate milch 

 cow's udder. The accident to my favourite grieved 

 me much, and it was six weeks or two months before 

 Mr. Sewell, the veterinary surgeon, enabled him to 

 take the field again. 



Plaving described my horses, the hounds must now 

 be looked into. They were almost all bred at 

 Berkeley Castle, and, consequently, were of the full 

 foxhound blood, and consisted of about thirty couples, 

 for hunting twice a week. I hate to take out less 

 than twenty couples for either deer or fox, because 

 to my ear there is something delightful in the cry 

 of that full number. It is absolutely necessary to 

 have as strong a force for a fox, in case the hounds 

 divide ; if twelve or thirteen couples only are out, or 

 six or seven, as I have seen Mr. Drax attempt to 

 hunt a fox with, the huntsman, if a division takes 

 place, has nothing left wherewith to kill a fox. It is 

 possible that you may go out with a weak pack of 

 even nine or ten couples, and circumstances happen 

 that will favour a fox's death; but to go out, and 

 for a huntsman to feel that he is equal to meet any 



