244 STAG-HUNTING 



beautiful sight to see a stag standing at bay in one of 

 the latter. Contrary to the received opinion, he keeps 

 his head up, only lowering it if he wishes to use his 

 antlers. If the stream happens to be in flood and 

 the stag chooses his position so that he can stand 

 while the hounds must swim, it is not easy to take 

 him. Sometimes a rope is needed, but usually it 

 can be managed without even that assistance ; 

 two men who understand how to do it can hold 

 almost any stag, and then the poor beast is quickly put 

 out of his pain. It would be very inhuman to let 

 the hounds kill him, though in many instances they 

 could and would do so unassisted. If the pack get 

 a deer into deep water where he must swim they 

 will drown him, and they will even do that some- 

 times in the sea, though unless much exhausted a 

 stag (or hind) can generally swim faster than any 

 hound ; for deer swim very well, whether in salt water 

 or fresh, and will ' keep the sea ' } for over an hour 

 if it is calm, and for more than half that time even if 

 it is rough. There are stories of their crossing to 

 the coast of Wales, and as the distance is only twelve 

 or fourteen miles it would not be impossible, sup- 



1 Du Fouilloux says he has known of deer driven to sea by 

 hounds being taken thirty miles out by fishermen ! Pliny 

 credits stags with swimming thirty leagues. 



