246 STAGHUNTING WITH THE 



the staghunting season, following its Horse 

 Show day brings together an exceeding great 

 •concourse of pursuers and sight-seers, so readily 

 is the home of the Luttrells approached by 

 road and rail. Minehead, with its fast growing 

 population, lies near by and turns out in force 

 to attend this meet, and the many villages 

 around all send their contingents of horse, 

 foot and wheel men. Alcombe and Timbers- 

 combe, Carhampton and Bilbrook, Stogumber 

 and Williton are all in easy reach of the long 

 wide street on which Dunster Castle looks 

 down, and this same street bv the hour of 

 eleven becomes thronged indeed at the Yarn- 

 market end. The great hounds lie panting 

 on the dusty red stones of the roadway opposite 

 the low arched frontal of the Luttrell Arms 

 Hotel, and round them presses an inquiring 

 and admiring crowd, as thicklv packed as upon 

 Cloutsham Ball, or at the corner of Bagborough 

 Plantation. The district round Dunster is one 

 which of all others need a heavy and recent 

 rainfall to enable hounds to do good work, for 

 its dry and gravelly soil holds no scent to 

 speak of unless well moistened, and the 

 neighbouring hilltops are so plentifully be- 

 sprinkled with a growth of gorse as to make 

 most unpleasant travelling for hounds and 

 even for horses. The deer too, seem to realise 

 that hounds cannot follow them with such 



