90 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



and brake, water and fences till he came to a wall of packed 

 stones. Here is a hunting gate through which the field 

 passed and shut ; cutting off young Nimrod's career. There 

 he slept in a sorrowful mood that night. We have been off 

 the scent ; let us cast back. The run continued over Wins- 

 ford Hill, Room Hill on to the Gorse where Reynard was 

 found. We all looked forward with anxious expectation for 

 the woo-whoop ; men and horses were blown and longed for 

 a respite, when a tally was heard towards the moor. We 

 eyed each other with astonishment. We had no time to 

 recruit the respiratory organs, but screwed up our nerves, 

 urged on our steeds, and went at it again. A good deal of the 

 second round was over the same ground, but within the first 

 circle. The pace was slower. All began to lag, hounds, 

 horses, riders. The stamina had ebbed. The plucky varmint 

 pursued the even tenor of his course with draggled brush 

 back over Hawkridge Common to Worth Farm. Here he 

 was viewed in an exhausted condition and in company with 

 two of the leading hounds by farmer Heyes who went at him 

 with bisgey in hand, when Reynard crawled up one of the 

 high beech hedges and disappeared like a witch of old. It 

 only wanted the kill to make it one of the best runs on 

 record. The first round was about 18 miles. 

 The second 14 ,, 



32 „ 



After that, one can understand that the respiratory 

 organs should want recruiting ! 



At the end of the season 1855-6, Mr. Whidborne 

 retired, his hounds going again to Sir Henry Scale. 

 On his retirement, he was presented with a silver 

 hunting-horn by two of his admirers, Mr. T. Bowen 

 May and Mr. R. Harris. As we shall see, however, in 

 a later chapter of the history of the hunt, he was 

 destined again to wear the master's cap of office after 

 the lapse of twenty-six years. 



