52 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



much trouble. If the fox is gone away, to halloo 

 " Tally-ho away ! " or, " Tally-ho, awawoy I " this 

 being more easy to halloo loudly. If the fox heads 

 back into cover, halloo " Tally-ho back ! " or 

 " boick ! " the halloo to be distinctly given, in 

 order that the huntsman and the men on the other 

 side of the cover should know whether the fox 

 is gone away or headed back. But if he only 

 halloos " Tally-ho ! " which is too commonly the 

 case, the huntsman and the rest of the field suppose 

 that he (the fox) is gone away, and gallop round 

 the cover, some one way and some another, to the 

 halloo. When they get there, they find the fox 

 is gone back ; the consequence of which is, not 

 only that they have ridden their horses for nothing, 

 but that, in coming round, they have probably 

 headed the fox again ; when had they stood still 

 on hearing that the halloo was back, the fox would 

 have gone away at some other point. Some foxes 

 that would fly at first get shy and frightened by 

 hallooing, and though stout and equal to any, 

 never leave the cover alive ; and if a gentleman 

 has headed him back, he has the blessing of the 

 whole field. 



Or, if a man sees a fox cross a ride in cover, 

 if he halloos at all, which he ought to do if the 

 hounds are at check, it should be, " Tally-ho, yoi 

 over ! " which is sufficient to let the huntsman 



