Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1909-01-15
FIRING OUT TIL STAG
a Deer AXE III England's Old
est Deer Park.
BOUNDED UNTIL Il Clasps.
HI came Animal z u Il MereiIessly
Driven Hither and Yon, Through
Lake and Wood, Until He Falls Ex-.
II hausted, Though undaunted.

q Driven Hither and Won, Through
Lake and Wood, Until He Falls Ex-.5
hausted, Though undaunted.
Parts Of certain great parks in Eng
hnd such as Fridge park, the oldest
deer park In the king dom, are kept.
practically Wild In their original forest
state, while near to the castle is the
cultivated home park Fridge park
contains 5000 acres and us the only
estate Il England with one exception,
where deer taking with hounds s still
carried Son. Bridge park once formed
part Of the royal chase. Itsstill retains
the wild beauty It then had, although
there are more than seventy miles Of
lovely drives II II, not counting those
Of the home park. s.
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. IL ss! /
The sport IS by no means as tame as
It sounds. A seven to- nine year old
red deer Is an awkward customer to
tackle. He is powerful, agile and well
armed with antlers and hoofs. s5
~ When there Is to be ia deer taking at
Fridge park the meet is planned for II
o'clock at the park keepers house.
The unde rkeepers, with fresh hounds,
are scattered through the park to head
OF the stag should he come their way.
The underkeepers having spread
themselves over the park, the park
keeper, with the field" those follow;
ing mounted and on FOOT set Oh. to
find q deer which looks ready for fat
tening purposes. Having selected one,
It 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, L. tremendous, and as rabbit
holes abound the risk OF q fall Is even
betting or, rather, q trife 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.
1t In one place after another he Is met
with hidden keepers and fresh hounds,
TIL with the Instinct OF his speeses he
turns to what he thinks Is his sane
tuary the lakes. With open mouth
and tongue outhanging: he plunges a
good fifteen feet into the water and
Iswfn1s for the opposite bank. Gasp
ing and tiring. he lands ON what he
hopes IL freedom from hts pursuers.
But, alas, mol Yetsanother fresh hound
as after him. What can he do? He is
too pumped with his already hard
burst to face the hui before him.
He turns around and tears down
through the bracken with hound ON
each side OF him, ready to phil him
down Il they get but half a. chance.
II is n dingdong race, under trees,
through boys and bracken, mp and
down de1ls ana 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 moment
there is breathing space, for now the
keepers and hounds, yet some way on,
are making for the poor beast, which
is n the midd Of the lake. Away he
sWims with graceful movement of his
noble head, CHANGING all around at his
pursuers, but with his mind fixed ON
his line OF retreat. n He reaches the
shore, and. with dripping sides, he Is
ont upon the bank.
gain he makes an effort 10 batiie
and leave behind those; clinging hounds
that would bear him down. And now
two great hounds are stretching them
selves ont to their utmost pace. Side
by side they race after their firing
quarry; In another minute they VIII
have him. The stag, however, man
ages TO mike q spnrt though he is
now sti fening rapid and Just
reaches some park palings surrounding
the big lake.
8 In an instant he has turned on his
purguers, and with head down and mp
raised fore leg he is prepared to fignts
- SAkfA StAsJT IN6utS44txP5 Uu6
I'M 4 tWinkling he rs On his back,
hurled away like d piece of wood;
This checks the other hound, when
lodges and bays around the stag.
Seeing that things are now getting q;
bit too warm for him, the stag au,dd len
}ly turns round and. smashing the PAL
ings like match wood, finds himself
again IN the ley wa ter of the big lake
Away and way he swirns iii, this
long stretch. the water seeming 90
3viye him, for he sgwiuls the eastern
length, three quartz of d mile. and
then lands at the far end while NE:
follow on the shore He sWims TIN his
3fdet touch the ground and stands fac.
ing us.
Ss u we can do now Isl % end the stu
Iation as speedily as possible. keeper
sdeftIy throws d rope with loose
knot over the stag antlers IN sa
moment four hnrly keepers are ha1llsii
Ing him ont by the ropes. It is now III