54 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



adopted, much more continued, unless it really is 

 to show their indifference to the sport ; bringing 

 with it, as it does, the chance of running over 

 many a hound which may happen to be in the 

 way of their horses ; and, after having ridden 

 over it, they will call out, " Ware horse ! " when, 

 in fact, it ought to have been, " Ware hound ! " 

 and the hound is ruined, because the gentleman 

 did not choose to ride with a hunting-whip. 



It sometimes happens that a hound in the chase 

 crosses a horse in his gallop, or slips through a 

 fence, and under a horse when taking a jump, 

 and the hound is killed. This certainly may be 

 called an accident. The owner and huntsman, of 

 course, are much annoyed and irate at the moment ; 

 but they cannot blame a man for it as in the other 

 case, when a smack of a whip would have saved 

 it, but well knowing, as they must do, that it was 

 done in the ardour of the chase ; and many masters 

 would rather witness such accidents occasionally 

 than see men hunting without that ardent feeling 

 for sport. Deprive fox-hunting of that intoxicating 

 sensation, and it becomes wretchedly spiritless, 

 and men may as well hunt a tame rabbit round 

 a drawing-room, with the dread of being called to 

 order for fear of breaking the crockery. No ! 

 Fox-hunting is no longer what it should be, when 

 men ride in dread of being overhauled or abused 



