26 STAGHUNTING WITH THE 



are heartily welcomed by those who take part 

 in them, will be well remembered by the one 

 hundred and ten who saw the finish of the 

 first run from Cloutsham in August, 1900. On 

 this occasion a right good forest stag with four 

 points atop took the most desired of all direc- 

 tions, and led his pursuers across the open, 

 disdaining to touch covert, straight from the 

 western end of Dunkery to the banks of Badg- 

 worthy Water. 



Some years before, to wit in 1891, there 

 was much difficulty in getting any warrantable 

 stag away, and the pack was not released until 

 after four o'clock, but a very fine run ensued, 

 and a stag with three and four atop was taken 

 at half-past seven o'clock between Combe Park 

 and Watersmeet, where the Farley Water tumbles 

 down from rock to rock to join the East Lyn. 

 In 1889, too, a right royal stag with three and 

 four atop went away from Horner to Hawk- 

 combe, Culbone and Yenworthy Common, being 

 set up and taken in the East Lyn under Southern 

 Wood, after a chase of two hours and forty 

 minutes. The time of year of course militates 

 against great performances on these occasions : 

 stags are still in the velvet and the extreme tips 

 of their horns are hardly as yet set, and the 

 plague of flies is to them a very real fact. The 

 pace, moreover, that makes hound pant and 

 horses sob and lather, tells with equal effect on 



