THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 4l7 



in the Maroons wars, where they were called into ac- 

 tion, and drove the inhabitants from their mountain 

 fastnesses, are horrors at which the feeling mind would 

 shudder. 



Blood-hounds were formerly used in certain dis- 

 tricts lying between England and Scotland, which were 

 much infested by robbers and murderers, and a tax 

 was laid on the inhabitants for keeping and maintain- 

 ing a certain number of these animals. But as the 

 arm of justice is now extended over every part of the 

 country, and there are now no secret recesses where 

 villany can lie concealed, their services are happily 

 become unnecessary ; at that time too deer-stealing was 

 a very prevalent crime, and the forest and the park- 

 keepers were chiefly employed in perpetual watching 

 and nocturnal warfare, in which they were materially 

 assisted by the blood-hound. 



Some few are still to be found in this country ; but 

 ihe finest and most ferocious come from the Manillas 

 in the East Indies, and from Cuba in the West 

 Indies. 



Mr. Boyle informs us, that a person of quality, to 

 make trial whether a young blood-hound was well in- 

 structed, caused one of his servants to walk to a town 

 four miles off, and then to a market-town three miles 

 from thence. The dog, without seeing the man he 

 was to pursue, followed him by the scent to the above 

 mentioned places, notwithstanding the multitude of 

 market people that went along the same road, and 

 of travellers who had occasion to cross it ; and when 

 he came to the chief market-town, he passed through 

 the streets without taking notice of any of the people 

 there, and ceased not till he had gone to the house 

 where the man he sought had rested himself, and 

 where he found him in an upper room, to the wonder 



3 H 



