248 STAG-HUNTING 



killed at 8.30 after running through twelve different 

 parishes for over five hours during the first part of the 

 time at a great pace. Besides the hunt servants only 

 six saw the finish : of the six, three were farmers, all 

 mounted on ponies by Old Port ; and of the three, 

 two Messrs. Bawden and Westcott of Hawkridge 

 had ridden the whole chase bare-backed and in their 

 shirt-sleeves ; the former with nothing but a hemp 

 halter for bridle. 



Such an incident speaks volumes for the sporting 

 instincts of the farmers who are the backbone of our 

 stag-hunting. No class enjoys it more, and no class 

 does more to promote its prosperity. 



The chase of the wild red deer has a very strong 

 hold on the people of the country round Exmoor. 

 Of course the hundreds of tourists and sportsmen 

 whom it attracts bring money into the district ; and 

 nobody is blind to the advantages of that. But 

 the deer do a good deal of damage, and though 

 there is a damage fund, which gets larger every 

 year, the men who benefit most by the sport are 

 very often not identical with those who do most for 

 it. There is no mistake, however, about the feeling of 

 the people of the country ; all classes, from the land- 

 lord to the labourer, take a keen interest in the hunt- 

 ing. Everyone on the road, as the hounds go home, 



