The Life of a Great Sportsman 



addition to completely spoiling the day's sport, means disap- 

 pointment to a great many brave men and fair women, including 

 strangers from afar, the selfishness of such a proceeding is 

 obvious. 



The Noble Science. 



Lord Henry Bentinck always would have it that when 

 hounds run riot when foxes are plentiful, it was the fault of 

 the handling. It is the drive and fling of the foxhound that 

 distinguishes him from all other hounds, and which those well 

 versed in the niceties of the Noble Science admire so much. 

 In making their cast hounds should always try forward. 

 Suppose in a run you come to a bit of bad scenting ground, 

 possibly from manure recently carted on the land, or from 

 sheep or beasts having foiled the line of the fox, now is the 

 time for hounds to try forward. If encouraged to try back, 

 not only do they get into a bad style of hunting, but are soon 

 so behind their fox that they cannot press him, with the result 

 that eventually he runs them out of scent. When hounds are 

 in the open, a huntsman should blow his horn as seldom as 

 possible. If near enough to hear his voice let him speak to 

 them, and they will come quicker than to his horn. He should 

 bear in mind that if he only hears the music of the hounds the 

 fox often stops to listen, whereas the twang of the horn has 

 a very different effect, and it is not his fault, you may depend, 

 if you get any nearer to him. 



A good huntsman is the most observant of men. Nothing 

 escapes him, and he has his eyes continuously " forrard," in the 

 anticipation of a check. He knows to a nicety when his 

 hounds are on a false scent, and stops them directly, strong in 

 the knowledge that if encouraged to hunt what is wrong, not 

 only the young hounds, but even those with two seasons' 



250 



