104 STAG- HUNTING ON EXMOOR. 



Further, remember to keep your horse's head straight 

 down a steep hill ; for if he slip there will then be no 

 harm done. But if he slip when sidling down a hill 

 he must turn over helplessly and probably roll to the 

 bottom. This is a very old rule but it is frequently 

 neglected, wdth consequences sometimes fatal to the 

 horse and always dangerous to the rider. Deer always 

 slant a hill up and down unless they are beat, so the 

 temptation to follow their example is great. 



Finally, the writer would beg all who have hunted 

 with the staghounds in the past, as well as those who 

 may intend to do so in the future, to remember that 

 they owe their sport (whether they enjoy it or not) 

 mainly to the forbearance and self-denial of the farmers 

 and to the generosity of the landowners in North 

 Devon and West Somerset ; to remember also that the 

 hospitality and freedom given them at Cloutsham and 

 throughout the country is theirs not by right but by 

 favour. By just bearing these things in mind they 

 will very greatly contribute, as so many friends from 

 the west, east, and north country alike have already 

 contributed, to ensure prosperity to stag-hunting. 



