1 88 STAG-HUNTING ON EXMOOR. 



and see how many times we run all so far in and out 

 of the covers, and don't kill our hind at the end." 

 Further, it must be remembered that the crow has a 

 great advantage in a hilly country, being able to fly 

 over steep combes and deep valleys, where we must go 

 down one side and up the other, a fact which must 

 always be borne in mind in reckoning distances by the 

 map, to say nothing of the inaccuracy of the said 

 map,* which casually omits a range of hills here and 

 an odd half-mile there with delightful simplicity. For 

 the present, however, we busy ourselves with historical 

 parallels, which are not exhausted by the time we reach 

 Exford village. " Have 'ee killed the deer? " comes a 

 voice, male or female, from every doorway. "Pretty 

 good sport, my lord ? ' ' inquires a farmer who passes 

 us on a pony. (No true native of the West ever ven- 

 tures to hope your sport has been better than pretty 

 good.) And so we pass through the running fire of 

 questions to the house which Mr. Bisset made the 

 master's residence at Exford. '' Good night, Arthur." 

 "Wish you good night, gentlemen." We watch them 

 for a minute till the last hound is out of sight, and 

 then human nature, recalled to itself by the aspect of 

 a blazing fire, breaks out with, "Dinner in half-an- 

 hour, and the bootjack at once." 



* Ordnance survey of 1803. 



