2 LETTERS TO YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



those who knew all about hunting, and its ins and outs were 

 absorbed automatically. Now, however, as we are to learn 

 older, we must learn more quickly. So we will go straight 

 to the meet with our budding foxhunter. Later, perhaps, 

 we will touch upon the purchase of the right class of horse 

 for various countries, horsemastership, hounds and riding to 

 them. By the way, remember you ride " to " foxhounds 

 and " at " staghounds. Goodness knows why. Another 

 opportunity may occur to enlarge on bitting, saddlery, 

 equipment and so on. A few days' hunting, however, with 

 our eyes open will make these later hints all the more easy 

 to follow. Before going to the meet consult a good large 

 scale map. They can be got of most hunts with names of 

 fixtures and coverts shown clearly. Your map reading 

 knowledge will now be found useful. Get the lie of the country, 

 its boundaries, rivers and natural features in your head. 

 Try to fix the position of coverts in relation to each other 

 and to villages, railways and the like. When you get home 

 at night (and half the pleasure of hunting is the contempla- 

 tion of the day's doings), go over the country covered with the 

 map in front of you, trace where you have been and note 

 the coverts drawn. On the fateful morning start early 

 enough to go steadily to the meet, at a walk, or at best, a 

 collected trot, and use what grass you can on the roadsides. 

 Nothing is worse than clattering helter-skelter to the covert 

 side, like a butcher's boy delivering meat. Never jump a 

 fence, school a horse or lark over a line of country going to 

 or from a day's hunting. Something always happens ; you 

 cast a shoe, lame your mount, or fall off and the horse puts 

 his foot through your new silk hat. I can remember all 

 these troubles happening to me in the days before I 

 learnt sense. Remember you may tax yourself and 

 your horse to the full. Even if hounds never find a fox, 

 you may conceivably cover forty miles home and back 

 again and be eight hours in the saddle. When you come 

 across the Master of the Hounds at the meet or covert side 

 for the first time each day, raise your hat to him just as you 

 salute your commanding officer. The Master of Foxhounds 

 is your commanding officer for the day. I have seen a 

 Royal Prince raise his hat to a commoner and rather a common 



