DEVON AND SOMERSET. 39 



in some such direction as that that a stag must 

 go if he would keep to the open. KenneUing 

 and drawing the tufters does not take long, and 

 then the day's proceedings begin forthwith : 

 harbourer and huntsman jog off with their nine 

 or ten hounds to rouse the stag, while master 

 and whipper-in betake themselves by other paths 

 to the most advantageous spots for viewing the 

 stag awav, and for stopping the tufters until the 

 pack and held arrive on the scene. While this 

 is one of the most interesting parts of the day's 

 work, it can only be seen from a distance by 

 the held in general, as it is absolutely necessary 

 for the Hunt servants to have the paths and 

 woodland rides to themselves at this juncture, 

 and, moreover, a stag may be very easily blanched 

 at this point, and all prospect of a good day's 

 sport ruined by an injudicious move, or the 

 appearance of a. body of horsemen between the 

 stag's lair and the open moor. 



A glowing spot of colour in the hot sunshine, 

 one may often see, from Cloutsham Ball, Sidney 

 Tucker sitting motionless on his horse, while 

 Anthony draws some dense patches of covert 

 below him on Parsonage Side. In the depths 

 of the combe the Horner water bustles down 

 toward the sea, which it reaches at Hurlstone 

 Point, a bluff headland in the distance. In a 

 few minutes, if all goes well and the harbourer 

 has judged correctly, Sidney's attitude will change 



