no 



The master has many arduous duties, and it is only 

 with the loyal co-operation of his field that he is able to 

 perform them. Perhaps the most important of these 

 is to see that the minimum of damage is done to fences 

 or crops of the man over whose land the hunt passes. 

 Every member of the field can help and do his share. 

 No one expects a man well placed in the middle of a 

 good run to go out of his way to shut a gate, but when 

 the same man is too far behind to be considered a serious 

 competitor, or hounds are only hunting slowly, he 

 should be always ready to do small services for our 

 good friends the farmers. A gate shut at the right 

 moment may often save the farmer or his men many 

 tiresome hours' search for lost stock. In the case of 

 sheep scared by hounds and the galloping horses, the 

 field should always endeavour to get on one side or the 

 other of the flock, which will then wheel intact clear 

 away from the direction the hunt is proceeding. Failure 

 to do this frequently means a very heavy loss to the 

 farmer and a stiff claim on the hunt funds. Let it be 

 understood, however, that there are many farmers who 

 never send in a claim, and I can hardly believe anyone 

 would cause such good sportsmen unnecessary loss. 



What usually happens when one of these regrettable 

 incidents occurs is that some thoughtless or ignorant 

 person, seeing the bulk of the field going carefully to 

 one side of the sheep, notices the other side is the shortest 

 route to his objective — usually a gate. Heedless of the 

 consequences, he charges down and drives the sheep 

 into the main body of horsemen ; then the flock, if not 

 scattered, will rush for the gateway, which will speedily 

 be jammed with a woolly, panting mass. Some, in their 

 terror, will dash about amongst the horses' legs and get 

 kicked. This is a scene I have often Avitnessed in the 



