1776. January. O-yO Being on a hunting-party on our way home, and ob- ferving a young buck of the elk-antilope fpecies, a farmer who was along with us, fent off his ion, a lad about twenty years old, as being the lighteft, as well as the beft mounted of us all, to give chafe to i t ; and by fo doing, procured me likewife no fmall degree of pleafure, as long as I could get to view the chafe, which was for the fpace of more than a quarter of an hour. In confequehce of their diftance from me, and the great rate at which they went, the legs of the horfe, as well as thofe of the elk, being fcarcely perceptible, both the fportfman and his game feem- ed to fwim, or fail, as it were, Over the hills and plains, while they were mutually endeavouring to get to the windward of each other. In fatft, the young huntfman had more than once the advantage in this point; but in order to prolong the pleafure of the chafe, and buoyed up by the ambitious hopes of being able to tire out his game, and afterwards drive it back to us, he purpofely negledted feveral opportunities that offered of jumping off his horfe, (as the fportfmen here are ufed to do) and fhooting the flying foe. Beiides, the air was now tolerably calm; and in this cafe, the animal in general does not ftrive fo pertinacibufly to get to the windward o f its purfuers, as at other times; fo that there have been inftances known of fpirited and expert fportfmen who, to their Angular fatisfadtion, as well as for the fake of greater convenience, have hunted elks and other gazels, and driven them back, for many miles together, from the open plains, on to their own doors, before they have thought it worth while to fire their pieces at them. But to return to our fportfman; in the fpace o f about two hours he comes back, 3 wearied wearied and confufed, and pleading in his excufe that, having fired at the beaft and wounded it, though not mortally, it had efcaped into a clofe thicket, while he was occupied in adjufting his faddle, which had got loofe; together with other excufes o f that nature. He likewife added, that while he was chafing the animal, he could plainly perceive a bloody froth exfuding from its neck, along with the white foam which appears on moil animals on their being hard run. This exfudation, or fweating of blood, does not appear to me in the leaft improbable; however, I will not by any means pledge myfelf for the truth o f i t ; as, being fo very unufual a circumftance, it muff have been feen at a fmaller diftance, and confirmed by the teftimony of feveral, before it could be thought credible. Every body, however, in this country was Armly o f opinion, (and, as it appears to me, not without reafon) that although game o f this kind, and hunted almoft as hard as this, might efcape for the prefent, they would however foon after grow ftiff in their joints and die-, or at leaft be fo difabled, that the next time they were chafed either by fportfmen or wild beafts, they would the eafler become a prey to them. The cafe is quite otherwife with horfes, which are prevented by their maftersfrom drinking,or from being otherwife cooled toofoon, when they are warm. Nevertlielefs, almoft all horfes which have been much ufed in hunting, are pretty much fpavin- ed, and fometimes are very ftiff in their joints, and flow in their paces, till, previoufly to their being taken out a hunting' again, they have been rode out a little, and their limbs, by this means, rendered pliable. One of our company had a large horfe, but as thin as a grey-hound, which E e 2 was W O
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