STAG-HUNTING ON EXMOOR 225 



of them so tame that they would present themselves 

 at the back door for a drink of water. 



On the followmg day, things had quieted down. 

 The staghounds were in kennel ; and although the 

 Exmoor foxhounds met in the neighbourhood for 

 cub-hunting, heedless people went their way and 

 took no notice of a pursuit only distantly connected 

 with stag. 



At last the eventful or stag-hunting day is ushered 

 in, and as usual one's preparations are discovered at 

 the last moment to be incomplete. A refractory 

 boot causes delay and consequent anguish to 

 a small party who have to travel with me on 

 wheels from Dulverton to the meet at Yenniford 

 Cross ; for eighteen Devonshire miles are before us, 

 and it is conceivable that the day would have 

 ended before our journey, had our coachman been 

 other than a native Jehu. A man must live in the 

 west of England to get used to driving horses at 

 a hand-gallop up and down hills of which the 

 gradient is sometimes less than 1 in 4 and some- 

 times more. And so we go on, our driver singing — 



" When the ^A-ind whistles cold on tke moors of a night, 

 All along, down along, out along lee, 

 Tom Pearce's ould mare doth appear gashly white, 

 Wi' Bill Brewer, Jan Slewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, 



Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke ; 

 Old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all, old Uncle Tom Cobleigh 



and a— a — 11." 



