DEVON AND SOMERSET. 29 



the old and heavv stag whose well tilled haunch 

 and fiank bear eloquent testimony to the suc- 

 culence of the ripening corn, the potatoes and 

 apples and juicy mangold wurtzels, amongst 

 which he has for so long made his nightly 

 feasts, choosing alway the best with nice dis- 

 crimination. 



Still, if only a stag can be roused that will 

 head for the moor, that will be the one most 

 welcome to the master, and the ringing echo of 

 his horn will soon be audible above the clatter 

 of plates and glasses and the general hum of 

 conversation as he gallops down upon the farm 

 intent on releasing the pack. 



Meanwhile there has been ample time for a 

 general survey of the throng : and what study 

 is so interesting as that of one's fellow man ? 

 The footpeople packed themselves in densest array 

 where the master and his servants sat on their 

 horses with the pack grouped in front of them 

 on the sward about half-way down the slope of 

 the familiar field. All the carriage horses have 

 been taken out and tethered in long, close 

 packed lines all down the hedgerows, or crowded 

 together in the roomy shelter of the farm 

 buildings, but some acres of the slope imme- 

 diately below the general line of vehicles are 

 occupied by hunters being held in readiness or 

 moved slowly up and down until wanted. No 

 sooner has the master given the order to kennel 



