ON HUNTING. 3 



commoner at that. A Master of Hounds is as much in com- 

 mand of his field as a captain on his quarterdeck. If he has 

 any special wishes, or even whims, regard them. Pay your 

 subscription early, find out what you should pay and pay it, 

 it won't get less by waiting. It would not be well to speak 

 to the captain of the Shamrock while steering that vessel in 

 the race against America, but it would be wisdom itself 

 compared with speaking to a huntsman when hunting hounds. 

 Say what seems to you best, say he has the most level pack 

 of hounds you ever saw, you can't get wrong in that direction. 

 But this should be before the hounds move off or after the 

 day is over ; between times he has enough to do and think about 

 without listening to your views. Avoid doing any damage — 

 you will gain more credit by closing a gate than by jumping 



YOU WILL GAIN MORE CREDIT BY CLOSING A GATE THAN BY 



JUMPING ONE. 



one, when hounds are not running ; when they are I know 

 you will not be the last man and therefore you can leave 

 gate-closing to old gentlemen and second horsemen. In these 

 days of shortage of farm labour it is often difficult for farmers 

 to catch stock up when hounds are about. If cattle stray 

 on to roads or into cultivated fields, the inconvenience and 



