DEVON AND SOMERSET. 315 



stopped by him when in full pursuit of some 

 other deer than the one selected for the day's 

 chase. Cheerily he brings them back to the 

 kennel door, opens it just wide enough to admit 

 of their re-entrance, carefully keeping back the 

 eager pack that press and struggle from within ; 

 panting and hot the tufters slip in at the 

 narrowly opened door to be welcomed by the 

 growls and envious whimpers of their comrades 

 who are spoiling for a hunt. 



The unkennelling of the pack always provides 

 some exciting moments, horses and hounds alike 

 are fresh and eager for the fray, and the field 

 know that a warrantable beast is away, and that 

 a run is to come off forthwith, and the great 

 question of how to obtain a good start at the 

 lay-on is uppermost in every mind. If a horse 

 is a kicker, or has any form of vicious temper, 

 it is sure to come out now, when after a long 

 wait he finds himself in the midst of an excited 

 multitude of his kind, with the master's horn 

 ringing in his ears, and the scent and sound of 

 the hounds just released from kennel close to 

 him. Small wonder then, if inherited temper 

 comes out, for his rider may be just as excited 

 as himself, and the thoughts of the coming 

 struggle may have turned his muscles to whipcord 

 and set every limb a-tremble. The corn measure 

 has been heaped up perhaps for weeks past and 

 the gallant beast feels that he must arch his 



