THE HOUND 61 



know if the silent leader is an unreliable youngster 

 flashing over the line or one to be depended on ? 

 Many huntsmen claim they know the note of 

 every member of the pack, but this I doubt, 

 though I am quite certain that every hound can 

 recognise a comrade's voice at a great distance, 

 and yet not be able to distinguish one from the 

 other by sight fifty yards away. When the pace 

 is extra good you cannot expect to have a full- 

 tongued chorus, but, however fast they run, I 

 like to hear a faint note or squeak from each 

 hound in the pack, the combined voices blending 

 in a rhythmical, harmonious murmur. 



There may be many packs that have lots of 

 music and yet have plenty of drive, but the one 

 with which I have had the good fortune to hunt, 

 that combines these essential qualities, is the 

 Cottesmore bitch pack. Gillson, the huntsman, 

 deserves the very greatest credit for having not 

 only brought his hounds to near perfection in the 

 field, but also for having made them a smart, level 

 lot on the flags. A look at their pedigrees will 

 show that most of the blood hails from Belvoir, but 

 other huntsmen have had the same opportunities 

 of acquiring that blood, and yet I know no other 



