85 



The good whip is an invaluable aid to the huntsman 

 but the bad would be very much better at home, and 

 can do a great deal of harm. In the endeavour to be 

 smart some whips hke to drive the pack into as small 

 a compass as possible, a very unnecessary proceeding, 

 except when passing through traffic or a body of 

 horsemen. 



A whip must be a good rider with the nerve to jump 

 big fences when required ; but the most important 

 thing of all is to keep his eyes open and be ever on the 

 alert. He should be watching hounds and huntsman 

 at the same time, so that he can anticipate the latter's 

 wishes before they are expressed. 



A voice tuneful and melodious, that is of great service 

 to a huntsman, may easily prove a curse to a whip. 

 The owner thereof hkes to hear himself and takes every 

 opportunity of using his gift, forgetting the golden rule 

 that the only voice hounds should hear is the huntsman's. 

 I have seen a pack at a check stop their search and 

 listen to a noisy whip bringing in a few stragglers. 

 Perhaps the best advice to give a whip would be " keep 

 your eyes and ears open but your mouth shut." The 

 whip viewing a fox away may be allowed to give tongue 

 to announce the fact, but he should shut his mouth 

 directly the huntsman appears, allowing him with horn 

 and cheer to get the pack on to the hne. 



It might be as well to begin at the beginning and go 

 through an ordinary day's hunting. If the huntsman 

 is otherwise engaged, the whip and feeder may have to 

 walk out the pack that is to hunt another day. There 

 will probably be many other duties to perform before 

 starting for the meet, but the procedure varies in 

 different kennels. With most fashionable packs it is 

 the custom to have both a first and second whip, but 

 f2 



