io FOX-HUNTING 



and that must be my excuse for having referred to 

 the gun. Between the man who shoots and the 

 man who hunts there is, I regret to say, very often 

 a great deal of jealousy and unpleasantness. Sport 

 should be a common bond of sympathy between 

 them, and if they would only extend a little con- 

 sideration towards each other's particular amuse- 

 ment, they might for ever be the best of friends. 

 I am not going to draw any comparison between 

 the two forms of sport, because it would be 

 manifestly unfair : being a staunch advocate of 

 one side, I could hardly be expected to hold the 

 scales of justice impartially. Those who both 

 hunt and shoot we are not in any way concerned 

 with ; but those with large game - preserves, 

 who never ride to hounds, we ought always to 

 consider, lest the pursuit of our pleasure should 

 cause them annoyance. A tactless master or 

 some officious member of the hunt stupidly tells 

 a covert-owner that his keepers kill the foxes, 

 and then there arises a quarrel that will upset 

 the whole neighbourhood. It is very probably 

 true that the keepers have killed foxes, but the 

 man who brings the accusation has no evidence 

 to show, and no one likes to have his servants 



