Echoes of the Hunting Horn 



incurred the wrath of the authorities. Waiting a 

 moment to see whether the breaking fox was the 

 hunted quarry or not, would have averted the disaster. 

 If he would not be capable of recognising either, he 

 should have stayed near some follower or member of 

 the hunt staff who would, and not wandered around the 

 covert-side alone. Had he let the old fox slip quietly 

 away, he would soon have got proof from the oncoming 

 hounds as to whether this was their pilot or not. Even 

 without assistance from some expert he still could have 

 saved the situation had he controlled his excitement. 



All of which makes one feel that there are a wealth 

 of educational values attached to cub-hunting. It 

 teaches cubs to run straight if they want to live to see 

 a ripe old age; for dodgery in life invariably pays as 

 poor a dividend to foxes as it does to human beings. 

 It teaches young fox-hounds their work. It gives horses 

 a foretaste of the task before them in the approaching 

 season. Finally, it gives the human tyro many lessons 

 in foxhunting deportment : lessons that seem never to 

 have been absorbed by some riders nowadays, if one 

 takes as a criterion the standard of etiquette encountered 

 at some hunts. 



Foxhunting is not a furious egotistical steeplechase 

 across country for one's sole enjoyment. One must 

 have some consideration for others : for the hunt staff, 

 the other riders, the foot followers, the farmers, the 

 farm-workers ; yes, and for the hounds and the principal 

 character the fox. Yes, most certainly, the fox. 



Foxhunting is not a sadistic orgy in which the death 

 of the fox is the chief consideration. If that were so 



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