54 THE FOXHOUND 



and listen intently, and if they are not thor- 

 oughly satisfied will resume their own hunting. 

 This may be repeated several times. Then 

 without any apparent difference in tone the 

 hounds " will hark to it " and with bristles up 

 and tail lashing take high fences in their eager- 

 ness to " get in." They know the characters 

 of their hound friends better than you do and 

 can tell when they are bluffing or in earnest. 



Never force or hurry hounds in puzzling out 

 a cold trail. This is one of the most fruitful 

 means of spoiling sport, as well as hounds. If 

 you feel restless and impatient, dismount and 

 sit on a fence or stump. If you and your 

 horse show impatience it will surely be com- 

 municated to the hounds and a check will soon 

 develop in a loss. Never go ahead of the 

 hounds; remember, no matter how great the 

 temptation is to be in front, you cannot catch 

 the fox yourself, but you can, and probably 

 will, not only spoil the day's sport but you also 

 run the risk of spoiling the hound by such 

 tactics. 



When " casting " never offer to assist as 

 long as the hounds are diligently trying to 

 " strike off." The less they are interfered with 

 the better; they understand finding a fox better 

 than you do. Hounds while fresh are very ex- 



