462 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



The body meantime (of a pack of about sixteen 

 couples) had swung rightward through Milkham, and 

 westward through the neighbouring enclosures of Roe, 

 Linford, and Red Shot. Now their deer, a young buck, 

 was done, and, bar accident and change, already in their 

 hand. Several times he was viewed as he clung to the 

 water ; and shortly they had him, almost as the cup 

 seemed to be dashed from their lips. For in the last 

 five minutes full half the remaining hounds were carried 

 off by yet another deer. 



This, as I read it, and as far as I could see it, is the 

 story of the gallop ; and thus, almost at the moment that 

 the hard-driving couples were being checked and caught 

 up on Ocknell Plain, was the original buck brought to 

 hand on the border of Appleslade, the w'estermost enclosure 

 of the Forest. 



The main difficulties of all in the chase of the fallow 

 deer are, it would seem, to avoid a change, and to prevent 

 the pack from splitting. So uniformly sweet is the scent 

 of the deer, and so readily also do they come into view, 

 that hounds are liable at any moment to be distracted 

 from their proper quarry. It was on this account, I 

 assume, that Captain Lovell used to keep his horn going 

 freely with the leading couples throughout the run. Allen 

 in the same way cheers hounds as much as possible to the 

 head with voice and horn. For, take it where you will, 

 from Aylesbury to Exmoor, from the New Forest to 

 Dublin and The Ward, deerhounds will invariably string 

 out to some extent in the open, and generally in covert. 

 Also, you cannot depend upon every hound at all times 

 throwing his tongue, especially when racing at the head. 

 The richness and fulness of scent of deer is, I have 

 learned to think, accountable for these deficiencies ; the 

 leading hounds being, as it were, intoxicated with its 

 volume, the tail hounds well satisfied with the bounteous 

 residue awaiting them. As a matter of fact, the New 

 Forest deerhounds, chiefly of Bramham blood, are more 

 honest and free with their tongues than any pack I have 

 seen in chase of cloven foot. And this is specially 

 noticeable in woodland. 



