88 THOUGHTS ON HUNTING 



do you think your method a proper one to accom- 

 plish it ? 



The first, and most essential, thing towards making 

 hounds obedient, I suppose, is to make them under- 

 stand you ; nor do I apprehend that you will find any 

 difficulty on their parts, but such as may be occasioned 

 on yours. 1 The language that we use to them to 

 convey our meaning should never vary ; still less 

 should we alter the very meaning of the terms we 

 use. Would it not be absurd to encourage when we 

 mean to rate? and, if we did, could we expect to 

 be obeyed ? You will not deny this ; and yet you 

 are guilty of no less an inconsistence, when you 

 encourage your hounds to run a scent to-day, which 

 you know, at the same time, you must be obliged to 

 break them from to-morrow. Is it not running 

 counter to justice and to reason ? 



I confess, that there is some use in hunting young 

 hounds where you can easily command them ; but 

 even this you may pay too dearly for. Enter your 

 hounds in small covers, or in such lar^e ones as have 

 ridings cut in them : whippers-in can then get at 

 them ; can always see what they are at ; and I have 

 no doubt that you may have a pact of fox-hounds 

 steady to fox by this means, without adopting so 

 preposterous a method as that of first making hare- 

 hunters of them. You will find tlat hounds, thus 

 taught what game they are to hun:, and what they 



1 Were huntsmen to scream continually to fteir hounds, using the 

 same halloo whether they were drawing, casting or running, the hounds 

 could not understand them, and probably would show on every occasion 

 as little attention to them as they would deservel 



