196 FOX-HUNTING 



one of the straight-necked sort, he is certain to 

 resume his original direction. When hounds come 

 to a drain or earth and seem inclined to stop, hold 

 them forward, because if you do not hit the line 

 again, you can always come back. A fox will 

 often go into an earth and come out again, finding 

 it too hot to be pleasant, and will also go through 

 a drain, coming out at the other end. Therefore 

 it behoves you to make your ground good forward, 

 before you decide that your fox has stopped. 

 When you do run to ground, get off your horse, 

 stay some little time, and cheer your hounds to 

 bay him. Of course, if you can get him out, do it 

 by all means, and when you have had a fairly long 

 run, see that he does not escape. Your field's 

 desire for a kill has cooled down, and they will 

 be for letting the fox get away, but you must 

 think of your hounds and not attend to the cry 

 for mercy. 



Unless a huntsman rides up to his pack, he will 

 often miss seeing the cause that made them check, 

 and will consequently be at a disadvantage. There 

 are a great many people who go out hunting who 

 never know whether hounds have the scent or not, 

 and if the huntsman is not there, they will press 



