234 STAG-HUNTING 



till three o'clock and after ; but there is always a risk, 

 if you do not find till late, of losing your deer for 

 lack of daylight to kill him. So, as a rule, if the stag 

 harboured cannot be found in two or three hours, it 

 is better to look elsewhere ; the man is more likely to 

 be mistaken than the hounds. The greatest draw- 

 back to stag-hunting is the long time that frequently 

 elapses before the right animal can be found, and the 

 further delay that not uncommonly ensues before the 

 pack can be laid on. 



Horace Walpole, writing on January 31, 1750, 

 says of Lord Sandwich : ' He goes once or twice a 

 week to hunt with the Duke ' (of Cumberland), ' and 

 as the latter has taken a turn of gaming, Sandwich, to 

 make his court and fortune carries a box and dice 

 in his pocket ; and so they throw a main, whenever 

 the hounds are at a fault, upon every green hill, and 

 under every green tree : ' and it is related, I believe 

 truly, of some sportsmen of the last generation, who 

 were as fond of whist as they were of hunting, 

 that they might occasionally, when the tufting was 

 tedious, be seen enjoying a quiet rubber in a con- 

 venient spot, with a sentry on duty to warn them 

 when it was time to take the field. Luncheon and 

 love-making are the modern substitutes, especially 

 luncheon. 



