DEVON AND SOMERSET. 109 



Weir Water, and presently ascended Mill Hill 

 with a right-handed slant ; then swung round 

 left-handed after a short check and pointed for 

 Larkbarrow by wav of Kittucks. The field, 

 nothing loth to take advantage of all this oscilla- 

 tion, sank and rose the deep chasm of the 

 Chalk Water at Stowford Bottom, and wxre 

 soon splashing across the first of the treacherous 

 ground in Stowey Allotment. Across their path 

 came the hounds, bearing away right-handed 

 now^ to Landcombe on the north side of the 

 Deer-park ; down the length of this to the 

 Badgworthy Water, and then upstream for some 

 distance. The master and the secretary, with 

 fresh horses, galloped down to the Doone-path 

 and forded the stream, while the chase sw^pt 

 on, up Hoccombe, and awav to Brendon Two 

 Gates. Time to this point, an hour and five 

 minutes. Then out over again still westward, 

 to the head of the Farley Water, hounds over- 

 running the line somewhat while the stag 

 crouched in a peat-cutting. Jumping up, he 

 was viewed, and hounds were soon racing away 

 as if tied to him across the Chains to Pink- 

 worthy Pond, where he soiled. The dauntless 

 few still plodding on hugged the wall for the 

 most part, the sharp pace and holding ground 

 telling terribly on horses ; one every here and 

 there coming to grief. One gentleman in falling 

 received some nastv cuts and bruises about the 



