39 



Good ! you did that well, and you can now go back 

 to rout out the other cubs. That is, you find, easier 

 said than done, and it is some little time before hounds 

 can discover where they are hid. At last, one that 

 had hoped to escape further pursuit by creeping under 

 a mass of thorns is located by a young hound, but the 

 thorns being too dense for his inexperience, he can 

 only bay the cub from the outside. His hayings, 

 however, soon gather the pack to his assistance, and 

 the quarry is obliged to flee. They are all at him 

 now, and though the ground is foiled there is scent 

 enough to keep him moving. The music stops, and 

 there is dead silence. The weary cub has doubled 

 back and laid down again. Let them refind him on 

 their own initiative, and say nothing. 



A shrill note from a single hound followed by a full- 

 throated chorus, and the thorns and bushes crackle 

 as the pack force their way through. A growling, a 

 worrying, and all is over. Two hours' hard work in 

 thick covert. Thanks to having them in hard con- 

 dition, your hounds now are nearly as fresh as when 

 they started. You might easily catch a second tired 

 cub if you wish, but don't be persuaded to draw 

 another covert. It is always good to take hounds 

 back to kennels flushed with success, but still more 

 important for young hounds on their first day. It is 

 better they should go home full of confidence in them- 

 selves, and come out again with only a day's interval, 

 rather than have a severe gruelling on the initial 

 morning. 



Opinions vary considerably on the amount of covert 

 work that young hounds which are destined to disport 

 themselves in a grass country, should be made to go 

 through. In provincial countries, and where there are 



