THE COUNTRY 5 



hunters scattered about the various tops, and if 

 the visiting sportsman follows the lead of one of 

 these men, he will come to no harm, though he may- 

 come to respect the walking powers of a dalesman 

 ere the end of the day. 



Having once reached the tops, it is wise to stay 

 at that altitude, unless hounds are practically 

 viewing their fox, and driving him hard towards 

 the dale. It is much quicker to go round the tops 

 than to make a descent to the dale and then cUmb 

 out again. When necessary, a descent can be 

 made down some grass slope, and a long slide down 

 a loose scree-bed will sometimes gain the same 

 end with less exertion. A certain amount of 

 practice is necessary to enable one to travel the 

 fells with ease, but one soon gets the hang of 

 walking fast on steep ground, and descending the 

 latter at speed. 



Everything depends, of course, on one's physical 

 condition, and the character of one's footgear. 

 Unless heart and lungs are sound, and one is in 

 some kind of training, fell climbing is astonishingly 

 hard work, and becomes much more of a toil than 

 a pleasure. 



Thin boots or shoes, with smooth soles, are 

 useless as well as dangerous. What is required is 

 a good stout shooting boot, well nailed to prevent 

 slipping. If anklets are worn with these they will 

 prevent grit and small stones from entering the 



