156 STAGHUNTING WITH THE 



Lanacombe, to which Anthony has by that time 

 returned, in casting back. At last the welcome 

 news is signalled from the Deer Park that the 

 stag has been viewed stealing back from the 

 direction of Trout Hill, and has laid up in the 

 smallest of the Deer Park plantations. When 

 hounds are brought there, however, he is found 

 to have moved into Clannacombe. Out of the 

 larches he bounds, driving three yearling deer 

 before him, but Captain Curzon and Mr. C. H. 

 Glass set to work and cut him out after a dash 

 over the heather, short, sharp and decisive. 

 This is warm work, as their horses testify, but 

 they have done veoman service, and that in the 

 nick of time, for now he is away by himself, and 

 heading right away for Farley. It is nearly four 

 o'clock, and horses have lost their first fresh- 

 ness, but as we sink to Hoar Oak from Cheriton 

 Ridge we begin to overhaul hounds somewhat. 

 As we gain Furze Hill we see them running 

 over Lynton Common above Gammon's Corner, 

 pointing straight for Parracombe. In the next 

 little stream we come up with them ; the stag 

 has just left the wire fence on the ridge above 

 us not five minutes before them. Horses can 

 only climb slowlv now, but hounds cannot 

 exactly fiy either ; ten couple are up, and the 

 rest are like the boy in "Casablanca." Let us 

 look round now as the good little horse that has 

 carried us so well splashes through the tiny 



