AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL 49 



of some of his duties ! One dreadful part of his 

 business is not to hold back, but to " whip up " the 

 field — I mean when going from covert to covert. 

 Furzingfield Gorse is going to be drawn, and the 

 M.F.H. believes he will find a good fox there ; it 

 is three fields away from the high-road, and a 

 narrow lane has to be traversed during a portion of 

 the journey. Now, if he can only get the field up 

 in time, and get them to stand all together on the 

 hill, and, above all, to go up quietly ! The Field 

 Master looks back ; straggling along the road in 

 sections come his flock, some close to hounds, then 

 the main column, "sections of fours" at intervals, 

 next a pair or two, then solitary horsemen, and 

 after that the last of these heaves in sight, round 

 the bend of the road come a bevy who have branched 

 off for refreshment, and now clatter up noisily. By 

 the time our poor Field Master has stood by the 

 open gate and said, " Come on, please, and don't 

 make a noise," about five-and-forty times, his throat 

 is as dry at a lime-burner's hat, his temper short, 

 and his mind in a horrible state of anxiety lest 

 he fail in his duty, or (awful thought !) lose his 

 start. 



We wish him well out of it ; also out of his diffi- 

 culties when, Reynard breaking in full view of the 

 field, all are desperately eager for a start, which 

 they shall not get, if he can help it, till hounds are 

 well clear of the covert. Well, they get away at last. 

 He "lets 'em go" — at least, all but Spurrier, who has 

 crammed his horse at the nasty fence on the right 

 in another direction to the line taken by hounds, 



Hounds, Gentlemen, Please. 5 



