362 WITH HOUNDS. 



supposed to go away before the hounds. The huntsman's 

 duty is to attend to his pack, and he should never depart 

 without an unmistakable " Forrard away " blow of his horn, 

 which is the signal to start, unless the Master exercises his 

 authority by requesting the field to " give them half a minute, 

 Gentlemen." After that, it is a case of catch them who can. 

 This parade business with the field can be best performed at 

 the first covert ; for the field is then more in hand than sub- 

 sequently. In getting the battalion to take close column, the 

 Commanding Officer of a large hunt would do well, if possible, 

 to follow Lord Lonsdale's example when he hunted the 

 Quorn, in having four or five hunt servants specially told 

 off to keep the field in bounds ; but few Masters have such 

 a large staff as the late Master of the Quorn had. After 

 the first run, the field will probably be more scattered, in 

 which case they should more than ever remember the neces- 

 sity of keeping motionless and silent, so that they may 

 not prevent the fox from breaking, or make him turn back, 

 in the event of his leaving the covert. No practice is 

 better calculated to spoil sport than the detestable one of 

 starting a field by a holloa, which any blunderer, whether 

 on foot or on horseback, might use. After the huntsman 

 has sounded the joyfully expected notes, a few holloas to 

 let all the field know that the pack is away, and to cheer 

 the hounds, may be useful. In most cases, the whipper-in 

 who views the fox away, holloas ; but sometimes he can 

 mutely signal to the huntsman. 



The danger of giving a holloa at the wrong time is so great, 

 that it is best to abstain from this form of vocal exercise, which 

 the Master of a well organised hunt might not improbably 

 resent as an impertinence. The fact remains, that the higher 

 the class of a hunt is, the fewer unofficial holloas are to be 

 heard in it. It is a popular idea that if one sees a fox going 

 away unnoticed, either breaking covert or when the hounds 



