THE CHASE OF THE HIND. 171 



tered stag, that from the hunter's aim had ta'en some 

 hurt," and came down alone to *'soil," is a strictly 

 accurate picture as to his solitude and refuge to the 

 water, though the "big round tears" are of course a 

 fanciful error. 



The great difficulty of hind-hunting has always been 

 the constant liability to change deer, and this difficulty 

 has during the last ten years been enormously increased 

 by the numbers of the herd. Mr. Bisset once found 

 himself hunting a compact body of forty-four, and the 

 writer has seen hounds divide into four parts after four 

 herds of from fifteen to twenty deer apiece. It is heart- 

 breaking work, after running a hind hard for an hour or 

 more, to find the pack going away in view after a fresh 

 one, or for that matter after a fresh dozen. Sometimes 

 it is only possible when three or four hinds have been 

 run to a standstill to get eight or ten couple of hounds 

 together and kill one of them. Towards the end of 

 December the deer leave the covers, and may be seen 

 in great numbers on Dunkery Hill, though why they 

 should choose that most exposed spot at that most 

 inclement season is a mystery. 



The hounds meet at 10 a.m. throughout the short 

 days from November to February, to gain time enough 

 (though often it is not enough) for a chance of killing 



