50 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



to change. After having told some person, for 

 instance, just as he arrives at the cover-side he 

 hears that some people are shooting, or have been 

 that day with all sorts of dogs, or he may draw 

 a hedgerow, or a small cover in his way, which 

 he did not think worth speaking of; and if the 

 person told has told others, and they have gone on, 

 and afterwards find that the hounds have slipped 

 away with their fox, they blame the huntsman. 

 Therefore men had better depend entirely on 

 themselves, and never lose sight of the hounds 

 either before they have found or afterwards, if 

 they can keep near enough, particularly in windy 

 weather ; for this is the only sure and safe plan. 

 Many men go great distances to cover, and, owing 

 to not attending to it, frequently lose the best of 

 the run at first, and have to distress their horses 

 beyond recovery in getting up to the hounds, and 

 cannot enjoy what little remains of the run, and 

 often are not lucky enough to get up at all. And 

 there are days, though unfortunately not frequent, 

 that as soon as hounds are thrown into cover 

 they find, and get together like magic, and away 

 without scarcely a hound throwing tongue ; when, 

 even if a man is present, it is ten to one (if the 

 cover is a large one) against his getting away 

 well with them, unless he adopts the plan of trying 

 never to lose sight of them. It is true the loss 



