88 



What happens next may have an important bearing 

 on the fortunes of a hunt. Getting away as quickly 

 as possible after a fox is certainly of great importance, 

 but no sound should be made until the varmint has a 

 clear field's start, or otherwise the holloa may induce 

 him to turn back. Personally I am all in favour of 

 the whistle on these occasions as it is a signal to huntsman 

 as well as hounds and not being as alarming as the 

 human voice to a fox can be used sooner. A whistle 

 may be blown when a fox has gone a couple of hundred 

 yards and may be supplemented later by the voice. 



On a stormy day with half a gale blowing, it is almost 

 impossible for the whip on the down wind side to make 

 either hounds or huntsman hear. When that is the 

 case, he would save his voice and much time by galloping 

 oflf at once to the huntsman. If the man viewing the 

 fox away is in sight of the huntsman and can signal 

 him by holding up his cap, he should keep his mouth 

 shut as it is in the interest of hounds that they should 

 hear only the voice of the man hunting them. A whip 

 would be equally efficient if dumb, but should never 

 be deaf. 



Perhaps I have been rather drastic in condemning a 

 whip's possession of a good voice, because it usually 

 means a good ear, which enables a man to modulate 

 his tones with varied inflections, each having its separate 

 meaning. The owner of a raucous voice with no ear 

 to correct his infirmity, is unable to make hounds 

 distinguish the difference between a rate for some 

 offence and an encouragement to get on. 



The hearing of hounds is very sensitive so that it 

 enables them to appreciate the slightest change, which 

 is a point a whip would do well to remember. One 

 hound may have been farthest away when the fox 



