FOX-HUNTING 41 



few minutes after the advertised time for the meet, the 

 Master gives the word to the huntsman, who at the 

 head of his hounds "^ trots off' to the first covert which it 

 is intended to draw. 



The order in which coverts should be drawn is settled 

 between the Master and the landowner, for thoudi the 

 former is absolute monarch of all he surveys in the hunt- 

 ing-field, he will consult, and generally defer to the 

 wishes of the latter, but the method in which a particular 

 covert is drawn is usually the same. Hounds are put 

 into covert to draw either up wind or with a cheek wind 

 in an open country, or down wind in an enclosed 

 country with large coverts. The Duke of Beaufort has 

 explained the reasons for this in his volume on 

 " Hunting," in the Badminton Library, with his usual 

 perspicuity : " In an open country, to draw down wind 

 means to get a bad start with your fox, for even those 

 that have never been hunted will be very apt to move 

 and be off, and one that knows what hounds are is sure 

 to take the hint very quickly. Should the country be 

 an enclosed one, and the coverts large, the same rule 

 as to drawing up wind applies." But the metliod is 

 open to numerous exceptions, since it is often 

 desirable that the fox shoukl not " break " covert, i.e. 

 leave covert, on one side. The owner of land adjacent 

 to that side may not want hounds to cross his land on 

 tliat particular day, or the Master may have other 

 reasons, and as we cannot too often state, the Master is 

 supreme in the hunting-field. 



The novice must now be guided to a large extent by 

 the conduct of his neighbours, but in the case of small 



* Hounds are couLted by couples. A pack in the fiekl would 

 comprise 20 or 25 couples, i.e. 40 or 50 hounds. 



