306 KEMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



myself, were tired, I left him for a future day. I 

 once found a bitch otter on the Efford stream in the 

 act of making a couch for her young. Old Palestine, 

 from the Grafton kennel, found and disturbed her in 

 the midst of it. At her we went for seven hours 

 and a quarter, with constant views ; and, during that 

 time, on a stump overhanging the river, she mis- 

 carried^ and gave birth to two cubs, born a few days 

 only before their time. A hound found them, and, 

 when I took one in my hand, it was scarcely cold. 

 She beat us from want of light, and well she deserved 

 to escape. The work that myself and my keeper, 

 James Dewy, did on that day, in tearing up holts, at 

 times up to the waist in water, and then having to 

 go in our wet things a distance of six miles at dark 

 with tired hounds, was severer than 1 should like to 

 undergo now, though there is no saying what the 

 view of an otter will produce if I find another. 



The buck stalking in the New Forest was very 

 perfect. Nothing could be wilder than the ground, 

 or latterly than the deer, and I was obliged to adopt 

 every kind of 7mse to get a shot, particularly when 

 the keepers and their assistants were killing every 

 buck they could. At times I used to ride carelessly 

 towards the deer and 023enly, caring nothing for the 

 wind, whistling and singing, like forest " marksmen " 

 after ponies and cattle; and now and then the deer 

 would be deceived by it, and let me come within rifle 

 distance, when I would watch my opportunity when 

 they nodded at a fly, or fed, and drop from my horse 

 into the heather. They would keep looking at the horse, 

 and a few minutes would elapse before the thought 

 struck them that the rider was no longer in sight; and, 

 while they were making up their minds on the state of 



