392 WITH HOUNDS. 



The practice of pulling down fences and cutting wire on 

 other people's land without lawful permission, is an unjustifi- 

 able offence against property which no honourable man would 

 commit, unless he was determined to subsequently give full 

 reparation and apology. Yet there are men who commit such 

 acts, say nothing about them, and leave the opprobrium they 

 excite to fall on the Master. 



Larking over jumps is another practice which is a source 

 of great offence to farmers, and gives rise to many a sneer 

 by hunting onlookers, who naturally view with disfavour this 

 form of "showing off." During a run, and when trying to 

 regain our place with the field after having been thrown out, 

 are the only times that jumping is permissible. In order to 

 still further avoid doing wanton injury, we should resist the 

 enticing temptation of having a gallop in a field when going 

 by a bridle path, as for instance, from covert to covert. 



Although the crime of over-riding hounds or otherwise 

 interfering with them may be easily committed by any mis- 

 guided individual when the pack is running slow, the boldest 

 and best mounted thruster will have little chance of being 

 guilty of it in a " big " country, with fast hounds which have 

 been given a good start after a flying fox with a scent. 

 Similarly, the classic advice that during a run, one should 

 ride to one side of the pack, instead of close behind it, which 

 would of course make the hounds think more of their own 

 safety than of the fox, is not of frequent application in 

 the Shires. In those parts, one seldom has the opportunity 

 of steering one's course by the direction of the wind ; for 

 keeping hounds in view will generally be difficult enough, 

 without having to attend to the fact that foxes, other things 

 being equal, prefer going down wind to travelling up wind. I 

 am inclined to think that in Leicestershire, the position of 

 coverts has a far greater influence on their route, than the 

 particular quarter from which the breeze blows. A fox will 



