HORNS, HOLLOAS, DOG LANGUAGE 85 



the great Peter Beckford was probably the cause of 

 the adoption of the straight horn by recommending 

 its use in his immortal work ; and, as it seems to be 

 " the horn which is the most readily sounded and is 

 heard the furthest," it is therefore the best. There 

 is no musical knowledge required to bring forth the 

 desired sounds, but a certain knack must be attained 

 in order to produce at once, with certainty, and when 

 a horse is in motion, the few necessary calls which 

 we have been considering. We read that Mr. Assheton 

 Smith, at an advanced period of life, sounded his 

 horn while leaping a gate. Needless to say the gate 

 had five bars, but we are not told the number 

 sounded by that fiery veteran during his leap. 



And if the huntsman should use his horn with dis- 

 cretion, how much more should the follower of hounds 

 be chary of raising his voice ! There are few inhabi- 

 tants of these islands who do not feel themselves 

 impelled to shout on the unexpected appearance of a 

 fox ; and if the view is obtained in a hunting country 

 the shout is almost certain to assume the sound of 

 a genuine " view-holloa " ; yet from a fox-hunter's 

 point of view this is pretty sure to be wrong ; for 

 "nine times out of ten that you holloa when you see 

 a fox," says a celebrated M.F.H., "you had better 

 have kept your mouth shut." 



To begin with the view-holloa, the " Tally aw-a-aey ! " 

 There is little doubt that very often this preliminary 

 to the chase is most unnecessary. The whipper-in 

 views " the lad " away from a gorse covert, and most 

 probably a good many of the field see him too. The 

 whip waits till the fox is well over the first fence, or 



