THE EMPIRE AND THE REPUBLIC 267 



know Nvliiit sort of point the deer made, but it seemed to me 

 a long zigzag. 



Our stag was harboured in some young oakwood with 

 thick undergrowth, and at first had several other deer with 

 him — I mean he w-as joined by these, or pushed them up, 

 after the pack was laid on. The compagnie went ringing and 

 lurching about together in a thinned enceinte with very strong 

 undercover. I rode wath the huntsman through the stuff on 

 a nice active horse which a kind friend at Laversine, M. 

 Lambert, had mounted me on, and which would have found 

 his way through Oustwick Whin or Eanksborough ; and 

 although, owing to the stubborn undercover, you could not 

 have ' sheeted ' them, their cry was beautiful, and each hound 

 hunted the line as if everything depended on his individual 

 performance. We were often within a few yards of the deer, 

 who kept turning as short and stupid as rabbits in the 

 corner of a warren ; and the hounds must have constantly 

 seen them, but they showed none of the demoralisation of 

 view. Taking nothing for granted, they stuck to the line 

 religiously, almost fanatically ; I do not think you could have 

 lifted them if you had tried. At last they got the stag — an 

 eight-pointer — away w^ith one nobber, who soon got dropped, 

 and stuck to him like wax till they forced him over three 

 or four marshy fields into the Oise and drowned him. I 

 think we were running about two and a half hours. 



M. de Valon never touches hounds ; that is, they get 

 no assistance of any kind. They have crosses of English 

 blood ; and, like M. de Chezelles, he is especially fond of the 

 Duke of Beaufort's blood. But they are essentially French 

 hounds, and personally I liked them much better in their 

 work, their appearance, and their style, than any other pack 

 I hunted with. They are on the long side and a little slab- 

 sided, but of charming quality and no lumber. Over here 

 we should not like the colour. There is a great deal of 



