THE WHIPPER-IN 69 



thought it as well, provided they did not get 

 blood. 



Some hounds are desperately headstrong, and 

 know the advantage of having a high wall, coped 

 with mortar and dashed with broken bottles, between 

 them and the man that is rating them. For them, 

 Beckford says, " My general orders to my Whippers- 

 in are, if, when he rate a hound, the hound does not 

 mind him, to take him up immediately and give him 

 a severe flogging. Whippers-in are too apt to con- 

 tinue rating, even when they find that rating will not 

 avail. There is but one way to stop such hounds, 

 which is to get to the heads of them. I also tell him 

 never on any account to strike a hound, unless the 

 hound be at the same time sensible what it is for. 

 What think you of the Whipper-in," asks he, "who 

 struck the hound as he was going to cover, because 

 he was likely to be noisy afterwards, saying, ' You 

 will be noisy enough by and by, I warrant you ' ? " 



When discussing the " Huntsman " we related a 

 misfortune attending a scratch pack Huntsman, or 

 more properly "horn-blower," with a furze bush and 

 a flock of sheep, and in looking into Mr. Vyner's 

 book we find a similar case recorded of young hounds 

 at home : 



" I once knew an instance," says he, " of a lot of 

 wild young hounds being moved into a field adjoining 

 the kennel where they were kept, and where a long- 

 tailed black pony was grazing, attended by the feeder 

 alone ; from wantonness one of the hounds bayed at 

 the pony, which induced another to do the same, and 

 the pony to declare his approbation or disapprobation 

 by repeated snorting and caprioles ; the main body 

 concluded it was a signal for a rush, when away went 

 the little horse over a fence into the adjoining lane, 

 and away went the hounds full cry, to the dismay of 

 the feeder and the rest of the establishment, who 

 were so suddenly summoned by the music of the 



