1 6 LETTERS TO YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



the pack tumbles out of covert he shouts " Forrad away, 

 forrad away ! " If one of the whips " views " a fox away 

 from covert he " holloas " ; a shrill, clear cry, which thrills 

 you as nothing else will, when you come to know its import. 

 For some extraordinary reason the whip thrusts his finger 

 in his ear when he holloas, goodness knows why, but they 

 all do it. Also do huntsmen very often when they "toite 

 toite " hounds to them in covert. If a fox " breaks " but 

 doubles back to covert the whipper-in sings out " Tally 'o 

 bike " (back) and cracks his whip. While all this is going on 

 the field will be outside the covert all close together, a Master 

 will marshal all horsemen where they are least likely to head 

 a fox. Sometimes in drawing big coverts the field will 

 follow up the centre " ride " if there is one. Do not detach 

 yourself from the remainder of the field and wander about 

 or you may " head a fox," that is, turn him back into hounds 

 when he tries to " break," one of the greatest possible 

 sins. When hounds find there will be a Niagara-like rush 

 to the first gate or easy place in the first fence, therefore, 

 unostentatiously nose your way up to this bolt-hole, or up 

 to the front of the cavalcade in a " ride," because if 

 you are not near the front the pack may be half a mile 

 off before you have got through after waiting your turn. 

 When hounds find, get a move on ; I do not say gallop 

 off in diametrically the opposite direction to that in which 

 hounds have gone, but get clear of the crowd and you can look 

 about you and decide what to do. There are many ways 

 of seeing a run riding on your own where hounds go, 

 known as " taking your own line," following some trusted 

 pilot who knows the country and will get along fairly well 

 through gates and gaps or, worse still, attaching yourself 

 to the road brigade, who trot along the roads and see what 

 little they can from its rather unenviable security. Later we 

 will touch on these various methods. Also on the sins of 

 skirting and point riding in an attempt to anticipate the line 

 likely to be taken by the fox, often resulting in heading him 

 in the open, and spoiling the sport of everyone else. 



