the
tall, rank grass, meaning to wait there till night should come, if he
were undisturbed. And lonely though it was, he felt that he was on
friendly ground, for all round him the tiny brown streams were singing
their song.

_Through heather and woodland, through meadow and lea_
_We flow from the forest[1] away to the sea._
_In cloud and in vapour, in mist and in rain_
_We fly from the sea to the forest again._
_Oh! dear is the alder and dearer the fern,_
_And welcome are kingfisher, ousel and herne,_
_The swan from the tide-way, the duck from the mere,_
_But welcome of all is the wild Red-Deer._
_Turn down to the sea, turn up to the hill,_
_Turn north, turn south, we are with you still._
_Though fierce the pursuer, wherever you fly_
_Our voices will tell where a friend is nigh,_
_Your thirst to quench, and your strength to stay,_
_And to wash the scent of your feet away._
_Lie down in our midst and know no fear,_
_For we are the friends of the wild Red-deer._

[Footnote 1: A forest does not necessarily imply trees. There is
not a tree on the forest of Exmoor.]

So there he lay for two hours and more, never doubting but that he was
safe, till suddenly to his dismay he thought he heard the voice of a
hound, very faint and far away. He lay quite still, and after a time
he thought he heard it again; but he could hardly think that the
hounds could follow his line after so long a time. He waited and
waited, distinctly hearing the sound come nearer, though very slowly,
till presently a Blackcock came spinning up to him, whom he recognised
as one of the old Greyhen's children. "Beware, my lord, beware," he
said; "they'm coming slowly, but they'm a-coming, and I am bound to
warn 'ee."

"Are they come to the water?" he asked.

"No," said the Blackcock, "but they'm almost come to it. Bide quiet,
and I will keep watch. The old Stag managed to beat the hounds on the
cliffs, and as they could not find mun again, the men after waiting a
long time laid the pack on your line, and faint though scent was, they
have followed it slowly, and follow it yet."

So the Blackcock watched, and saw the hounds puzzling out the scent
inch by inch with the greatest difficulty. There were but very few
horsemen with them, though the moor was dotted in all directions with
a hundred or more of them that had given up the chase and were going
away. But a few still stuck to t