124 ON BLOODING HOUNDS 



valuable by the greatest sportsmen that have flourished 

 since his day. If Mr. Otho Paget's idea, that no one 

 should be allowed to take the field until they have read 

 and digested Beckford, could be carried out, we should 

 hear little of the " grousing " that often takes place 

 when the M.F.H. decides to " have him out " ; or when 

 he deems it advisable to make it a short day, and so 

 take hounds home " above their work," as Beckford 

 says. What is done, is done in nine cases out of ten, 

 for the sake of the hounds, and in the interests of 

 future sport, and of these interests none can judge so 

 well as the Master and huntsmen. There are in every 

 hunting-field some queer spirits who only seem happy 

 when finding fault with the management, and whom 

 nothing can please ; these you may lay long odds are 

 neither generous in their subscriptions to the Hunt, 

 nor do they trouble themselves to assist very much 

 in looking after the coverts or the country ; they can 

 all study Beckford, however, whose support has been 

 called for so often in this paper to uphold the axiom 

 that every pack ought to have at least one fox per 

 week to keep it up to the proper standard of excellence. 

 It is wearisome work, very often, digging for a fox, 

 and I don't think anybody likes it ; but I fancy it is 

 very seldom practised too often, although there have 

 been well-known eccentric individuals who become 

 notorious for the abuse of the spade. 



