128 FOX-HUNTING 



walk in life. In other things I imagine we are 

 all guilty of some little conceit, but most of us 

 are wise enough to keep it to ourselves. The 

 huntsman who is conceited is a fool, because 

 the cleverest will occasionally make mistakes in 

 hunting a fox, and he who deems himself in- 

 fallible will never have the wit to grow wiser. 

 Conceit is a weakness excusable in youth, but 

 unpardonable in mature age. 



Unless a man who is hunting hounds has a 

 certain amount of confidence in himself, he will 

 never be able to act at a critical moment with 

 that decision and promptness which the occasion 

 requires. There must be nothing vacillating 

 about a huntsman : he must make up his mind 

 quickly and act at once on his inspiration. If, 

 however, he is a man slow of thought, he had 

 better take time to think than to rush off 

 without any idea of what he intends doing. 

 When hounds are at a check the fox is travel- 

 ling on, and every second is of importance, but 

 thoughtless haste will not help matters. The 

 man who is always in a hurry will lose more 

 time than he who is both deliberate and slow. 



Beckford says a huntsman should be young, 



