COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 165 



"Dragon" says: "The numbers present were 

 estimated at 15,000, and of horsemen 1,200 to 1,500. 

 They came from nearly every hunt in England. 

 When Arthur Heal arrived on a well-bred chestnut, 

 and his whip, George Southwell, with fifteen couple 

 of hounds, a knot of sportsmen gathered round them 

 Earl Fortescue, Lord Ebrington, Colonel Anstruther 

 Thomson and two daughters from Fife, Mr. and Mrs. 

 Froude Bellew, and Mr. Nicholas Snow, those well- 

 known M.F.H.'s. The Master (Mr. Fen wick Bissett) 

 unfortunately was not out, so the treasurer, Mr. Sam 

 Warren, took his place. At a quarter to twelve arrived 

 a carriage and four with postillions in scarlet jackets. 

 In the carriage were the Prince, Prince Louis of 

 Battenberg, Lord Charles Beresford, Rev. John 

 Russell, and their host, Mr. Luttrell of Dunster 

 Castle. They drove slowly round so that they 

 might be seen by all, and had a hearty welcome, 

 and then drove off to a house to get their horses.' 



On trotting back to the moor we found Heal in 

 Lord Lovelace's big covert tufting with three couple 

 and something seen before them, which the practised 

 eye of the natives proclaimed to be a stag. They 

 tried to drive him out, but it was no use, but a young 

 stag came sailing up to us. The hounds were brought, 

 but he was not their game, so trotted off to the deer 

 park at Oare. Several stags were soon on foot, and 

 one was sailing away towards Badsworthy Wood. I 

 don't know where they ran to, but it was a sort of 

 semicircle, and luckily the Prince nicked in and saw 

 the finish in the river near the Doones Houses. The 



