92 HORNS, HOLLOAS, DOG LANGUAGE 



of course, to every pack comes a time when, as Whyte- 

 Melville sings : — 



" With a storm in the air and the ground like a stone, 

 We're all in a muddle, beat, baffled, and blown," 



and nothing more can apparently be done; but, wel- 

 come sound ! a holloa is heard from afar. If it has the 

 true ring about it, and sounds as if delivered by a 

 practised voice, it will be the sweetest of sounds to 

 the huntsman. " Huic holloa," he shouts, and getting 

 his pack together and his trumpet out, away he 

 bustles, best pace, knowing he is on no fool's errand. 

 " That's Gospel, begad ! " roared the old West Country 

 huntsman, with delight, who had lost his fox but 

 heard the well-known holloa of Parson Froude. 



A good holloa, clear and resonant, is pleasant to 

 hear at any time, but music to our ears when the 

 stirring gallop is checked all too soon and there seems 

 but little chance of its revival. It is heard in England 

 a good deal oftener than in the sister isle, for there 

 a fox has many more enemies abroad, and in some 

 populous districts is viewed by the countryfolk where- 

 ever he goes ; but, in the Green Isle, except in the 

 neighbourhood of a covert, Reynard may travel for 

 miles across the grass without once hearing the fate- 

 ful sound, " Tally-ho ! " 



Now, concerning hound-language. 



A very observant and enthusiastic student of the 

 works of Mr. Surtees used to declare that the author 

 ought to have given us more information as to the 

 early career of his redoubtable hero, Mr. Soapey 



