26 WOLF-HUNTING. 



out for several generations, although tonguey hounds are 

 especially chosen for the purpose of every cross. The old 

 nature of the wolf appears and reappears, and no device of 

 human ingenuity can pitchfork it away." 



I have since learned in my own country, from that keen and 

 experienced sportsman, Mr. Waldron Hill, who brought over 

 several couples of these hybrid hounds from the Department of 

 Eure, and whose object it was to enter them as otter-hounds, 

 that they had at least one other fault, which he found utterly in- 

 eradicable, in fact, the old wolf coming out again in them. 

 They would kill sheep ; and, as he justly remarked, that to 

 hunt the sheep was a far more expensive amusement than 

 hunting the otter, he hanged the whole of them. In the Count's 

 country, however, this vice would not be observable, as there 

 flocks of sheep are not found depastured abroad and roaming 

 at will on a thousand hills, as in this more favoured land. 



For the next two days, after the triple kill at Conveau, St. Prix 

 deemed it advisable to give his hounds perfect rest ; so, in order 

 to employ the time more profitably than in frequenting Madame 

 Laurent's cafe and billiard rooms, St. Prix, Kergoorlas, Keryfan, 

 and myself formed a shooting party, and arranged to sally forth 

 in search of woodcocks to the Pencoet and Ty-meur covers, all 

 within two leagues and a half of the town of Carhaix, on the 

 following morning. 



In spite of Admiral O'Grady's advice at whist, " never to look 

 back too much into futurity," I am tempted to make a backward 

 cast with respect to the wolf-hunting, as before detailed. The 

 sport, as I have already said, was good as it could well be; 

 the hounds admirably suited for the work, and the "field" as 

 ardent and practical a set of men as I ever wish to meet at 

 a cover-side. It was, however, at first impossible for me to 

 reconcile the system of riding to a glorious pack of hounds, 

 armed as each man was with a double " smooth-bore," with the 



