16 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



hounds. For instance, when the pack is close at 

 him in cover, and he goes through the outside 

 fence of the cover only, instead of going into the 

 field, he drops down into the ditch, and every 

 hound goes over him. The pack then make a 

 swing outside, during which he crawls up the 

 bank back again into cover, and gets probably to 

 the other side before they cast back ; by which 

 time the scent, owing to the ground being stained, 

 gets bad, and he has probably time to get fresher, 

 and often steals away without being seen, as all 

 the men are close to the hounds, with the belief 

 that they will kill the next minute. But on these 

 occasions, if the huntsman is awake, he will always 

 order one of the whippers-in to remain at the 

 opposite side of the cover. Independent of its 

 being the best plan to kill a hunted fox, by sticking 

 to the pack and cheering them in cover, it is the 

 most likely means of making a fresh fox break 

 cover, without any wide hounds getting on him, 

 for it keeps the pack together, and makes any 

 other foxes fly. Indeed it sometimes happens 

 that the leading hounds kill their fox in cover, 

 though not often, and then join the body of the 

 pack, which are on a fresh one ; which, unless a 

 huntsman has kept his ear to, he is not aware of. 

 There is a wide difference of opinion, as to 

 whether a large pack or a small one is best in 



