DEVON AND SOMERSET. 149 



besides brows and trays, but on hearing the 

 chorus of view halloas and the notes of the 

 horn soon made his appearance. 



Hounds were no sooner laid on than they 

 swung round into the Soggs, stringing out 

 amongst the tough tangle of low growing scrub, 

 a darting swaying line of black and white 

 amongst the russet brown of the dying leaf. 

 Keeping high up, they pressed from one wing 

 to the other in Butterfiy Combe, and as they 

 neared the uppermost fringe of the western 

 point the stag could be seen stealing out just 

 before them. Away over Hareknaps he went, 

 increasing his distance at every stride, but 

 passing close before his two deadliest enemies. 

 Colonel Hornby and Anthony, to wit. Past the 

 tall poles at the end of the path-heads and 

 away into Holford Combe he led them, and 

 there for a moment they were at fault beside 

 the stream. Anthony soon set them right, and 

 then thev brought it to a point in the same 

 combe much higher up, and checked again 

 most inexplicably. A timely view halloa from 

 the secretarv and the second whipper-in, who 

 had met the stag standing panting on the 

 summit of Willoughby Cleave, ere he lumbered 

 off at a slow trot towards Erridge Combe, 

 brought Anthony up to the table-land atop, and 

 hounds were soon flying again as fast as they 

 could pick their w^ay over the prickly stubbly 



