THE WHIPPER-IN 89 



after hounds instead of riding round them, and the 

 effort is sometimes productive of a fine trial of speed, 

 generally terminating, however, by the intrusion of a 

 fence, through which the hound skulks. 



When a Whipper-in is by, however, it is best to let 

 him do the work, because he can very likely effect 

 it by a rate; at all events gentlemen should trust 

 more to their actions than their voices, because the 

 latter are strange to the hounds, but it must be a 

 very dull dog that doesn't understand when a person 

 is manoeuvring to lick him. The human voice divine 

 is doubtless a fine popular organ, and perhaps it is 

 a pity that the free use of it does not contribute to 

 the success of the chase, for we never saw a hunting 

 field yet where there was the slightest prospect of a 

 deficiency of noise. We shall never have to import 

 any of that, however. Some few men, however, are 

 so modest or timid, that they are afraid of the sound 

 of their own voices, and if they see a fox break cover, 

 they get into such a delightful state of perturbation, 

 that they don't know what the devil to do, and it 

 perhaps takes them ten minutes or a quarter of an 

 hour before they recover their faculties sufficiently to 

 be able to tell anybody, and even then, they are often 

 in such a nervous state of confusion, that very likely 

 they have forgotten the place. For these gentlemen 

 the hat is the thing. Indeed, a hat high in the air 

 is worth a hundred halloos, especially if the hounds 

 are in cover and don't see it. The Huntsman can 

 then get them quietly out, lay them gently on, and in 

 foxhunting, as in most other things, a good beginning 

 is half the battle. The hounds settle well to the 

 scent, reynard travelling quietly on, perhaps, hears 

 them well in his rear ; he then has time to consider 

 which way he will go, and, putting his head straight 

 for his point, gives them a splitter. 



Many a fox is lost in the first few minutes. But to 

 the Whip 



