THE QUANTOCKS. 241 



ride with him round Dunkerry, or Mr. Clarke will give you a 

 spin on North Hill. So every day may be filled up : and time 

 need hang no heavier than your debts. There are sportsmen 

 who languish between the early grouse and Kirby Gate, who do 

 not shoot in Norfolk nor attend Newmarket, who hate Brighton 

 and have no soul for Scarborough, but who would gladly leap to 

 boot and saddle, months before November. Let these come 

 down to Devon and Somerset, leave foxhunting out of thought 

 and out of comparison, and try the wild staghunting as (to 

 them) a novel sport, an art and practice of itself, as, in fact, a 

 separate science to be studied. Let them divest themselves of 

 the idea that it has anything in common with a burst after 

 the fox save in the note of the horn and the breed of the 

 hounds. They will see something of venery quite different to 

 what has fallen to their lot before ; and they will see it with 

 the happiest accessories of nature and landscape. 



My acquaintance with Exmoor, with its inhabitants (or 

 rather, its neighbours, for there are not even gipsies on the 

 Forest now) and with its visitors, has necessarily been a brief 

 one. And so any attempt at naming them must of course be 

 incomplete. Yet, though by no means amounting to a full list, 

 the following few names, of men prominent in the Hunt, will 

 be found not altogether inaccurate. 



Among the leading local residents, or subscribers, or both, 

 are Lord Fortescue (whose two sons are more often in the field) ; 

 Sir Thomas Acland ; the Rev. J. Russell (known to all the 

 sporting world, and knowing as much of sport as can well be 

 J earned in fourscore years and odd) ; Sir Alexander Hood of 

 Audry and Mr. Carew of Crowcombe (both of whom have good 

 coverts at the Quantocks) ; Mr. Knight, Mr. and Mrs. Froude 

 Bellew ; Mrs. Rowcliffe, Mrs. Lock-Roe, Miss Leslie, Mr. 

 Luttrell of Dunster and his sons, Messrs. W. Karslake, 

 Daniell of Stoodley, Doddington, Bouverie, Norman of Luc- 

 combe, Hancock of Wiveliscombe, Dr. Collins of Dulverton, 

 Mr. Battersby, Messrs. Glasse, Capt. Luttrell, &c. 



And of the visitors, so far, Mr. and Mrs. Granville-Somerset, 



