THE EMPIRE AND THE REPUBLIC 269 



and he said he had observed the very contrary, and that, 

 thanks to scent lying on the bushes more comfortably than 

 on the ground, their tendency was to look for it breast high. 

 I do not know how this may be ; and I dare say he is right 

 and I am wrong. My preference is to let things strike me 

 through the eye, and to be satisfied with what I see if the 

 sight is pleasant. Anyhow, I will not be robbed by my 

 reason-giving travelling companion of the picture left upon 

 my memory of the whip-sterned seuriots and magpies witlr 

 their noses to the ground, racing under the high beeches. 



At Chantilly we had a good hunting run of about three 

 hours, and killed. It was a very bright sunny day, and the 

 scent was moderate. There was a long check at ' la table 

 du roi,' which carriages, conversation, and luncheon baskets 

 Inade very tolerable for many of us. Our hunted stag had 

 contrived to associate several other deer with his difficulties, 

 and the horns blew the accompagne from every point of 

 the compass. How^ever, tactics and venery prevailed. They 

 managed to cut him out again, and hunted him cheerfully 

 at a steady pace until he stood to bay. The scent, I 

 thought, improved in the afternoon, and I hazarded this 

 rather conventional observation to the head piqiieur. He 

 said ^ Alt contraire,' and gave reasons which he politely 

 explained, but which I imperfectly grasped. They certainly 

 ran with more cry and confidence, but I dare say they were 

 closer at him. Fortunately there is no inevitable agreement 

 about scent, people, novels, and sermons.^ 



Perhaps it may be well to say a word or two here upon 



' H.Il.H. the Due cle Chartves most kindly sent me the foot of this good 

 stag beautifully mounted, with a plate bearing the particulars of the day, as 

 follows : 



' Eendezvous a la baraque Nibert ; attaque au ti'ou des Braconnicrs ; pris au 

 poteau St. Leonard apr^s 4 h. de chasse ; laisser courre par Cheri. 

 27 Nov. 1895. 

 Les houneurs du i^ied a Lord llibblesdale.' 



