THE NEW TIMES, 1825— 1861. 47 



The season opened on the 21st of August, 1855, at 

 Simonsbath. Two stags and two hinds were found 

 together in the North Forest ; and after a fast burst 

 with one of the latter, a stag was forced away and 

 eventually taken. He proved, however, to be a deer 

 that had been turned out by Captain West, so he was 

 spared and turned out again — only to be fired at by 

 poachers, and eventually killed " to prevent his dying," 

 less than two months later. Such occurrences were only 

 too common at that time, the appearance of a poached 

 deer in Exford village being the signal for general 

 -'rejoicing among the whole population; nay, it is said 

 (I know not with what truth) that a leading deer-stealer 

 appeared at this meet displaying the slot of a hind 

 which he had shot a day or two before, to encourage 

 the new master. 



Mr. Bisset, however, continued hunting, and on the 

 28th of September killed his first stag in the Haddeo, 

 by candlelight^ at ten minutes to eight o'clock. The 

 season, however, was not remarkable for sport, and 

 the result of twenty-five days' hunting was that two 

 stags and two hinds were killed and one stag taken 

 and saved. Of the twenty-five days, four were blank, 

 while the weather prevented hunting on two more. 

 It is remarkable, however, to notice how widely the 



