FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



way out to the open fell top, from whence he may 

 visit several other dales. Once a fox is on foot 

 it is generally not long before hounds push him 

 out of his home dale, and though he may return, 

 the chances are that he will not. In order to 

 keep in touch with the pack one must follow on 

 guided by the distant music, or make for some 

 point which may afford a view. On a good 

 scenting day hounds travel at a tremendous pace, 

 so that by the time you reach the fell top your 

 only chance — if you cannot hear them — is to visit 

 some likely earth where they may have run their 

 fox to ground. Here is where local knowledge 

 comes in handy, for unless you are familiar with 

 all the earths or ' ' borrans " you may entirely fail 

 to locate hounds. 



As a rule there are a fair number ot local hunters 

 scattered about the fells when hounds are out, 

 some of whom are pretty sure to have seen or 

 heard something of the flying pack. If you are 

 with the huntsman and he espies a distant figure 

 he will quite likely awaken the echoes with a 

 stentorian shout of "What wa-a-y ? " Anxiously 

 you watch for the tiny figure across the dale to 

 stop. It does so, and a faint cry comes back, 

 " Whoaled ! " which being interpreted means 



gone to earth." Round the fell head you then 

 go and arrive at a well-known borran where 

 hounds show plainly that their fox is below, and 

 one or two locals who have arrived before you 

 are discussing the situation. At other times you 

 shout and get no reply, so have to plod on and 

 trust to luck and your own initiative. If you 

 know the country and the weather be tolerable, 

 it often pays to start out early and make an easy 

 ascent of the fell before the hounds leave the 

 kennels. You can then pick a sheltered spot 



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