STAG-HUXTING. 419 



den a holloo was heard, and a hound threw his 

 tongue : 



" The deep-mouth'd blood-hound's heavy bay 

 Resounded up the rocky way ; 

 And faint, from further distance borne, 

 Were heard the clanging hoof and horn." 



The rouse, it seems, had taken place in a small 

 covert, a short distance below us, and we could see 

 a stag of noble size, with branching antlers, trotting 

 majestically along in a small opening between two 

 woods, apparently paying little attention to the old 

 hounds behind him. Indeed, at one time, so far 

 from verifying the words of a poet, that pedibus 

 timor addidit alas^ he very coolly broke into a walk, 

 as much as to say, ' I value you not ; " but the 

 staunch old tufters getting nearer to his haunches, 

 obliged him to quicken his pace ; and, to the great 

 joy of all present, he put his head straight for a 

 moor twelve miles across/' But this is a subject 

 for poetry ; and it is impossible to read even the 

 foregoing short account of rousing the deer with 

 hounds, without calling to our recollection the 

 beautiful lines of the Scottish bard in the Lady of 

 the Lake^ so strictly true to nature : — 



" The antler'd monarch of the waste 



Spi'ang from his heathery couch in haste ; 



But ere his fleet career he took, 



The dew-drops from his flanks he shook ; 



Like crested leader proud and high, 



Toss'd his beam'd frontlet to the sky ; 



A moment gazed adown the dale, 



A moment snuff' d the tainted gale ; 



A moment listen'd to the cry, 



That thickened as the chase drew nigh ; 



