DEER-STALKING. 19 



durks, and daggers, in the space of two houres four- 

 score fat deere were slaine, which after were disposed, 

 some one way and some another, twenty or thirty 

 miles ; and more than enough left for us to make 

 merry withal at our rendezvous. Being come to our 

 lodgings there was such haking, boyling, roasting, and 

 stewing, as if cook ruffian had been there to have 

 scalded the devill in his feathers the kitchen being 

 alwayes on the side of a banke, many kettles and pots 

 boyling, and many spits tuniing and winding, with 

 great varietye of cheere, as venison baked, sodden, roast, 

 and stu'de ; beef, mutton, goates, kid, hares, fish, 

 salmon, pigeons, hens, capons, chickens, partridge, 

 moorcoots, heathcocks, caperkillies, and termagents, 

 good ale, sacke white and claret, tente (or alligant), 

 and most potent aqua vita. All this, and more than 

 these, we had continually in superfluous abundance, 

 caught by faulconers, fowlers, fishers, and brought by 

 my Lord Marr's tenants and purveyors to vitual our 

 camp, which consisted of fourteen or fifteen hundred 

 men and horses." 



It is said that the red deer may be usefully 

 domesticated, although with more difficulty than the 

 other species. Martial relates of a deer that he 

 was used to the bridle ; and Montaigne alludes 

 to the famous present made to the Emperor Maxi- 

 milian, of a deer swifter than a barb, that bore both 

 saddle and bridle ! We cannot resist giving the 

 young sportsman, in conclusion, Christopher North's 

 portraiture of the death of the red deer, it is so 



