A First Flight Position 



FEW of the many pleasures of hunting can surpass, for 

 sheer exhilaration, the ecstatic thrill of being in the 

 First Flight. 



The First Flighter may earn the angry criticism of 

 those who uphold some cherished, and occasionally 

 fantastic, hunting theory. He may be looked upon 

 with disapproval by ardent enthusiasts of hound- work. 

 He may even be rebuked by the Master. 



Such criticism is either justified or unwarranted, 

 according to the category to which he may belong. 

 Generally speaking, he belongs to one or other of two; 

 those who insist on hunting the fox themselves or those 

 who allow the hounds to do so. 



The first group is usually a distillation of equal parts 

 of impetuous youth, good horseflesh and sheer bravado, 

 highly flavoured with obstacle-luck, mixed to the con- 

 sistency of thick varnish and applied as a blister to the 

 backs of hard-working foxhounds. This blister not 

 only removes the hair from the backs of hounds but it 

 makes the hair bristle on the head of the Master of 

 those hounds. Continued applications have been known 

 to produce badger-like grey streaks in that most tolerant 

 of human heads. One application has been known to 

 break a foxhound's back; and even mild touches have 



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