THE ART ITSELF 185 



hounds on. There are some people who seem 

 to think that when a hound puts his head down 

 and waves his stern, he must be either on the line 

 of a fox, or be himself a false rogue. I do not 

 look at it in that light. When a hound is sniffing 

 with his nose on the ground, all he means by that 

 waving stern is that he has found a scent, and 

 that for the moment he cannot tell you what it is, 

 but if you will only be quiet for a minute he will 

 let you know. Therefore, if you see a single 

 hound feathering on some line, and yet not able 

 to speak to it, take the rest of the pack up to 

 him, but say nothing either in the form of en- 

 couragement or reproof. When a reliable hound 

 throws his tongue, it will be quite soon enough 

 for you to cheer the others on. Of course I am 

 supposing you have no mute ones in the pack, 

 otherwise it will be difficult to tell whether they 

 are or are not on a fox ; but when you have any 

 of these sinners you and your whips must keep 

 a sharp look-out, never letting a hound get far 

 away from the main body. 



I had thought of devoting a whole chapter to 

 scent, but have come to the conclusion that as we 

 know so little about the subject it is best left 



