200 STAGHUNTING WITH THE 



not care for a few hounds or even half a 

 dozen, especially if I could find a good deep 

 pool, but the bother of it .must be when they 

 get all round you and you can't run any more; 

 then I don't know what I should do, but I'd 

 take good care they didn't touch me ! How 

 good those acorns were last night down in 

 Badgworthy Wood ! It's a pity there weren't 

 any more of them though ; they take so long 

 to find, and the hinds — bless 'em — are ever so 

 much cleverer than I am, picking them out 

 amongst the leaves. I wonder how that light- 

 coloured stag is that I had such a round wath after 

 my morning bath as I came up from the water 

 through Woodcombe Combe. He went away 

 mighty stiff, I thought, after that last dig in the 

 ribs I gave him. It's an awful bother having to 

 drive away all these young stags who seem to 

 fancy that the whole place belongs to them, but 

 it doesn't, it's mine, and I'll let them know it 

 too, as soon as the moon sets to-night ! My 

 throat's rather sore though from singing so much, 

 but I do like to hear the sounds go all down 

 from combe to combe ; and don't the hinds like 

 to hear it too. They know a good voice when 

 they hear it. There's that pretty little hind, 

 with the red jacket and long neck over in 

 Clannacombe ; she really understands me, and 

 I think would follow me anywhere — but what's 

 that moving over there ? Oh, I see ! it's onlv 



