HUNTSMAN 27 



whole pack joined, but fortunately did not pull 

 one down before they were got away. The writer, 

 on hearing of it, came home, took them out cub- 

 hunting earlier than usual ; and on the first day, 

 having killed a brace of cubs after running six hours 

 incessantly, ventured to take them amongst the 

 deer. At first they were quiet, but at length a 

 young hound broke away, and shortly afterwards 

 two-thirds of the pack. They were with difficulty 

 stopped, then tied up to the park pales and flogged, 

 about fifty in a row, till all hands were tired. A 

 few days after all the most vicious were taken 

 there by themselves in couples, or rather three 

 together ; but this was of no use, they soon broke 

 away and were punished. This continued for six 

 weeks from daybreak till the afternoon, by which 

 time every hound was perfectly steady. Amongst 

 other plans, a deer was constantly put in the 

 kennel for several hours every day, and if a hound 

 looked at it, he was rated or punished. A few of 

 the very worst were drafted, but the pack was 

 never steadier than during the season after it ; 

 and although great part of the cub-hunting was 

 lost, they killed more foxes than any other season 

 that the writer kept hounds. This trouble was 

 bad enough, but it was still worse to be told on 

 all sides at the time that it would be impossible 

 ever to break them, or to hunt the forest or where 



