Stag hounds 77 



hunting, and the terrible sufferings under- 

 gone by the quarry in his fear of the hounds, 

 they are either speaking in guileless igno- 

 rance, or else doing their best to belittle 

 the fame of the late Ananias. I cannot call 

 to mind a single instance of the ordinary 

 paddock-fed deer showing any fear of hounds ; 

 many an one calmly starts grazing when 

 first enlarged, and has to be actually driven 

 away. Even so, they usually start at a very 

 casual trot : it is well authenticated that in 

 a certain hunt the deer used to jog out to 

 the meet beside tlie huntsman's horse, and 

 in the middle of the pack ; run his line, and 

 then return to his paddock in the same way. 

 And if the " cruelty " criers, who are con- 

 stantly running a tilt against the Royal pack, 

 would only come out and ride to the finish 

 with staghounds, then get ofi" their horses 

 and tackle the deey\ probably some of their 

 sympathy would be reserved for themselves 

 instead of "slopping over" on the "victim." 

 A stag is often a nasty customer to collar, 

 and 1 have seen hounds, and men, too, "for- 



