The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-02-23
A "Deer Take" in England'S
Oldest Deer Park
HOUNDED UNTIL HE Clasps
The Game Animal Is Mercilessly Driven
Hitler and Yon, Through Lake and
Wood, Until He Falls Exhaust
ed, Though Undaunted.

land. such as Fridge park, the Oldest
deer park In the kingdom, are kept
practically wild In their original forest
state, while near 10 the castle Is the
cultivated home park. Fridge park
contains 5000 acres and is the only
estate In England, with one exception,
where deer taking with hounds rs still
carried on. Fridge park once formed
part OF the royal chase. 1t still retains
the wild beauty It then had, although
there are more than seventy miles Of
lovely drives In It. not counting those
OF the home park.
Deer taking is entirely different from
deer hunting. The object is to take
the animals alive so that they may be
transferred to the home park to be fat
tened and eventually turned into ven
ison.
The sport is by no means as tame as
II sounds. A seven 10 nine year old
red deer is an awkward customer to
tackle. He is powerful, agile and well
armed with antlers and hoofs.
When there Is to be a deer taking ut
Fridge park the meet Is planned for IL
o'clock Mt the park keepers house.
The underkeepers, with fresh hounds.
are scattered through the park 10 head
Off the stag should he come their way.
The underkeepers having spread
themselves over the park, the park
keeper, with the field" chose follow
ing mounted and on foot set off to
find deer which looks ready for fat
tening purposes. Having selected one,
1t is the work Of the keeper to get him
separated from the rest and then to
slip his hound and set after him as
hard as we can gallop. The pace, Of
course, is tremendous, and as rabbit
holes abound the risk of fall Is even
betting or, rather, trifie of odds on
the certainty of our taking toss"
As our deer bounds away with his
wonderfully easy. elastic movements
he makes for the widest part Of the
park, expecting to escape his pursuers.
In one place after another be is met
with hidden keepers and fresh hounds,
TIL with the instinct OF his species he
turns to what he thinks is his sane
tuary-the lakes. With open mouth
and tongue outhanging he plunges
good fifteen feet into the water and
swims for the opposite bank Gasp
ing and firing, be lands on what he
hopes is freedom from his pursuers.
But, alas, no! Yet another fresh hound
is after him. What can he do? He is
too pumped with his already hard
burst TO face the hill before him.
He turns around and tears down
through the bracken with hound on
each side Of him. ready to pull him
down If they get but half a chance.
1t is dingdong race. under trees,
through bogs and bracken. up and
down dells and breaks, smashing head
long through everything, anything, to
reach the shelter Of the friendly
water once again. With a mighty
spring he Is In again. For q moment |
there is breathing space, for now the
keepers and hounds, vet some way off,
are making for the poor beast, which |
is IN the middle OF the lake. Away he |
swims with graceful movement Of his
noble head, glancing all around at his |
pursuers, but with his mind fixed on
his line of retreat. He reaches the |
shore, and, with dripping sides. he Is
out upon the bank.
Again he makes an effort to baffie
and leave behind those clinging hounds
that would bear him down. And now
two great hounds are stretching them
selves out to their utmost pace. Side
by side they race after their firing
quarry: In another minute they with
have him. The stag, however, man.
ages to make a squirt, though he Is
now stiffening rapidly, and just
reaches some park palings surrounding
the big lake.
In an instant be has turned on his
pursuers, and with head down and up
raised fore leg he is prepared to fight
to the death. A hound rushes In, but
In a twinkling he is on his back,
hurled away like a piece Of wood.
This checks the other hound, which
lodges and bays around the stag.
Seeing that things are now getting
bit too warm for him, the stag sudden
" turns round and, smashing the pal
ngs like match wood, finds himself
again in the icy water of the big lake.
Away and away he swims, up this
ong stretch, the water scanning to re-
five him. for he swims the eastern j
ength, quarters Of a mile, and
hen lands at the far end while we !
'ollow on the shore. He swims till his
'eet touch the ground and stands fac ,
ng us.
All we can do now is to end the stu .
ition as speedily as possible. A keeper {
lefty throws a rope with loose
mot over the stays antlers. In a
moment four burly keepers are haul.
ne him out by the ropes. It Is now /
low march to bis feeding ground in :
he home park. Slowly the procession +
moves, never q slackening Of the rope :
r the hold on the autlers. Through /
he gate dividing the parks be is |
,rought. an unwilling prisoner, though {
This ends the deer taking.
Town and Country.