82 STAG-HUNTING ON EXMOOR. 



written in his journal that his hopes for the future lay- 

 in two of the Devon houses which had kept the stag- 

 hounds in the old days ; and though these hopes were 

 in one case defeated by death, they were in the other 

 fully realised. 



With his usual generosity, Mr. Bisset did all he could 

 to strengthen the hands of the new master. He made 

 Lord Ebrington a present of the pack, and gave over 

 the stables and kennels at Exford to the use of the 

 hunt, reserving only standing room for his own horses. 

 He continued to hunt pretty regularly at first, but his 

 attendance became gradually more infrequent, till it 

 finally ceased altogether. 



In truth, his health had been failing for some time 

 past, mainly owing to a very dangerous fall from a 

 horse, which reared up and fell back on him, not when 

 hunting on the soft heather of the moor, but on a hard 

 road when trotting out of a dealer's yard. This took 

 place in 1875, ^"^ though he continued after that year 

 to ride, yet his injuries were too severe to permit him 

 to hunt much except on wheels during that season. 



In 1880 the parliamentary seat for the division of 

 West Somerset fell vacant, and Mr. Bisset was pressed 

 to stand in the Conservative interest. After much 

 hesitation he consented, and though opposed by the 



