420 The Book of the Horse. 



enough mounted, and can get a pilot who will keep you clear of bogs, you will find the field 

 squandered in two miles. But this is quite the exception. The general character of the best 

 moor country is that of long green undulating table-lands, intersected continually by long steep 

 gorges provincially called combes, down and up which the horses of the country scramble, 

 slowly but safely ; at the bottom of most of these is a stream rattling over a pebbly bottom, 

 except where an accidental dam has formed a bog. These combes run into each other, and 

 the deer and the hounds alternately descend and ascend the steep sides, while the native 

 sportsmen ride along the ridges as long as they can, and know when it is absolutely necessary 

 to descend the steep sides and climb the opposite precipitous banks. 



The horn sounded and the hounds away, if the moor is open, away go the well-mounted 

 horsemen, as if they were going to leave all the ponies behind. But the stranger on a cob need 

 not despair ; as a rule, checks are frequent ; the deer takes every chance of resting himself in 

 water for a few minutes, and if the pony riders can only manage to keep on at about ten 

 miles an hour, in the wake of some farmer, and if they will only harden their hearts, sit back 

 to ride down hill (I never saw a horse fall going down hill) and take hold of the mane or 

 breastplate, not the bridle, to climb up, and not try an independent gallop, stick to the ruck 

 of native sportsmen, they will be pretty certain to catch up the fast young fellows on real 

 hunters. They will have, most likely, a series of ten or twelve short bursts of five or ten 

 minutes ; they will not only cross streams, but ride along the beds of bubbling brooks, through 

 over-arching green woods, and finally see the stag at bay in the pool of some brook ; see him 

 killed, if they like to see that butchering operation, and hear the morte sounded on the 

 huntsman's horn. Even if a great run takes place, it is seldom quite straight. The wonderful 

 knowledge the farmers have of the run of the deer and the geography of the country, enable 

 the pony-riding stag-hunter nine times out of ten to reach the hill before it is all over. 



Although the hunting commences in the middle of August, the hard runs with the stag 

 do not commence until September, when he has recovered from the exertion of growing his 

 new antlers, so the stranger has August to prepare himself and his horses for a real moor 

 run, if lucky enough and horsed well enough to see one. Towards the middle of October 

 stags go out of season, and at that time the hinds are hunted, and often show better runs 

 than stags. In the middle of September packs of fox-hounds in that part of the country 

 begin their early morning routing of the cubs, and have very good runs. A wandering moor 

 fox very often shows rare sport. 



When the stag is killed or lost, and the hunt is over, the strangers will often find themselves 

 a very long way from their temporary home. The first thing is to refresh from absolutely 

 the necessary flask of cold tea or whiskey, or wine-and -water, and the indispensable sand- 

 wich-case, for in these regions Publics are very few and far between ; at dairy farms milk 

 may be obtained for a few civil words. 



Young men who defy rheumatism may ride home in their cold or damp clothes, but 

 ladies and men who object to rheumatism should be provided with a Cardigan or warm jacket, 

 strapped to the saddle. The farmers will be found most kind in showing the way as far as 

 they go. But my advice is not to follow their advice and try short cuts when they leave 

 you, but stick to the roads which are, if steep and long, good. A compass may be of use 

 in crossing a moor, although I never tried to use one. A resident in the countr)' \u)uld 

 casil}' mark out the cross roads, which are not shown on the old ordnance map. A pair 

 of field-glasses are a decided acquisition, and much used in stag-hunting. 



The following is a list of the meets where there is the most chance of a gallop. I believe 



