76 



When in the middle of a run hounds appear to lose 

 pace and get slower every moment, a huntsman is 

 justified in making a bold forward cast in the hope of 

 getting closer to his fox, as otherwise he will be ultimately- 

 run out of scent. When, however, a fox is tired and is 

 turning short or using other subterfuges to escape, 

 hounds should never be touched as long as they can hold 

 a line. The scent of a thoroughly beaten fox is not 

 only much weaker, but changes in character, and it is 

 usually only the old hounds that are able to detect it. 

 The least interference at this moment may make them 

 lose the thread altogether. Unless it is possible to give 

 them a view from which they cannot fail to effect a 

 kill, they are more likely to achieve that result if left 

 to work it out themselves. Probably there are more 

 foxes lost at this period of a run than any other, as the 

 nearness of a good finish tends to create an excitement 

 that makes men noisy and impetuous in action. It 

 is a time when spectators should never utter a sound 

 and a huntsman unable to keep excitement out of his 

 voice should be equally silent. The sensitive hearing 

 organs of a hound are quick to detect the sHghtest 

 variation in the tones of a voice. 



In Hfting hounds or making a cast, a huntsman should 

 be quick, but never in a hurry. It is useless casting 

 hounds in a search for lost scent if they are taken too 

 fast and never allowed to put their heads down. Whips 

 are too much inclined to hurry on hounds that are 

 doing their best to recover the lost fine, but that is 

 after all the huntsman's fault. A really good huntsman 

 will have his pack in front of him when making a cast 

 and requires little assistance from a whip. In that way 

 he can watch what each hound is doing, which would 

 be impossible if they were dragging at his horse's heels. 



