WILD STAG-UUXTING. 203 



enough to extend his horses ; the fact was, some easy days and 

 short-running deer deceived him. The time came at last when 

 he had the satisfaction of seeing them run right away from him 

 in the open, while his horse had been so well extended that he 

 laid down to rest in the heather ere going home, and his master 

 thought he intended to die ; but the horse altered his mind, if 

 such was his intention, and recovered. ]^o one Avho started 

 with the hounds saw the end of that run, as they could not get 

 near enough for the tail hound to guide them on the line, but 

 several went miles farther than he did. 



" Checks are of less frequent occurrence with deer than fox, as 

 is natural from the higher scent. When they occur it is gene- 

 rally either from the deer having ' taken soil,' that is, gone to 

 water, w^here he frequently sinks himself all but his nostrils, 

 roused another deer, and taken possession of his lair, or thrown 

 himself down in gorse or high heather with a bound, as a hare 

 will do, without rousing another deer. Perhaps he may have 

 gone up or down the water, or, soiled, and retraced his steps from 

 his soil, ' backed it,' as they say in Devonshire, into a neighbour- 

 ing covert. As I am not writing a treatise on the best mode of 

 hunting the stag, but merely endeavouring to point out to my 

 readers the difference between the chase of the deer and the fox, 

 I shall not enter into a description of the huntsman's duties 

 under either circumstance, but content myself with warning 

 them not too hastily to consider that all is over, and the deer 

 lost. The check, when it does come, will probably be a long 

 one, but I believe it is Mr. Bisset's maxim that a stag should 

 never be given up while there is daylight. Of course, if he 

 has roused a young deer, the hounds are stopped as soon as it 

 is discovered, and brought back to the point where it is most 

 jDrobable the stratagem was effected. After a time he is again 

 roused, all the stiffer for his respite, and is then said to be 

 * fresh found.' This will sometimes occur more than once in 

 the course of a run. At water some very beautiful hunting 

 may occasionally be seen, where it is shallow, the hounds trying 



