230 FOX-HUNTING 



get a view of the fox as he goes away, and 

 your keenness will be stimulated, so that the 

 run will give you much greater pleasure. The 

 way to extract the most enjoyment out of a 

 run is to forget all about the riding, and 

 imagine yourself in the huntsman's place with 

 his desire to catch the fox. I do not mean 

 you are to interfere — that is an unpardonable 

 sin — but you can interest yourself and think 

 what you would do if you were carrying the 

 horn. By thinking only of the hunting, you 

 will get much greater pleasure from the riding, 

 and the successful negotiation of a fence in the 

 wake of hounds is a most delightful feeling. 

 However fond a man may be of the sport, he 

 always looks on jumping as an additional pleasure, 

 and when I hear any one say otherwise, I suspect 

 his nerve to be shaky. 



It must not be forgotten that fear lends a 

 pleasurable excitement, and I am not certain that 

 some people do not enjoy the feeling of funk 

 which the fence inspires. 



If your nerve is not of the strongest, a long 

 wait at the covert-side in a cold wind will possibly 

 increase your dread of the first fence, and if you 



