256 HARE-HUNTING 



before you think of assisting them, and consider 

 in your mind the reason for their checking. Do 

 not be afraid of casting forward, as if she has 

 gone on you save time, and if she has turned back 

 she will probably be lying down. With a good 

 pack you will have very little to do unless there 

 is a very bad scent, but if they are out of blood 

 you will find they will run well and hunt well, 

 until the hare is getting beat and her scent is 

 failing. At that critical moment they will dwell 

 and potter on the line, never making any head- 

 way and getting slacker every minute. This is 

 the time when your ability as a huntsman is put 

 to the test, and you must do all in your power 

 to get them forward. Your eye must be every- 

 where at once, so that you observe each hound's 

 movements, every moving object in the sur- 

 rounding country, and are ever on the alert to 

 view the beaten hare. 



The most frequent cause of failure in the pur- 

 suit of a hare is changing. Just when the one 

 you are hunting is getting tired, up jumps another 

 fresh from her form, and away go the pack in full 

 view. There is very little hope of stopping them, 

 and when you do succeed the chances are you will 



