THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



when casting, so much the better; but good hounds will be 

 maknig their own cast to a certain extent, whilst you are 

 making yours, by not keeping at your liorse's heels, but spread- 

 ing as they go. 



' When you have hit upon his point, if a single hound goes 

 off with a good scent, get the body to him as quickly as you 

 can ; but not so if the scent be warm. In the latter case, your 

 hounds will be in expectation of a fresh fox, and will be in a 

 hurry ; the hound that is forward will be lifted, and, in all 

 probability, you will have to seek for the scent again. Go 

 gently, and your hounds, if steady, will settle to it. Likewise, 

 if, when at check, you are hallooed to a spot where a fox has 

 been viewed, stand still, and say nothing at the moment the 

 first two or three hounds throw their tongues. If you hurry 

 the body on immediately, the scent will often be lost should 

 the fox have been a few minutes gone. Again, when a fox has 

 been viewed, and you go directly to halloo, do not take your 

 hounds to the extreme distant point at which he was viewed, 

 but about a hundred yards behind it, and for this reason : if you 

 take them to the extreme point, and they do not hit off the 

 scent at once, you have then to make your cast at a venture ; 

 whereas, if you lay them on at that distance behind it, you have 

 somewhat of a guide to that extent, as to the line to which you 

 should draw them. 



' The following hints relate to hounds, either at fault, or in 

 difficulties. In trying back, hounds have this advantage. It 

 is evident the fox has come the line up to the point where the 

 check occurred ; and he must be gone either to the right or 

 the left of it, or back. I make this remark because so much 

 has been said about the straight running of foxes, which is far 

 from true ; and the necessity of persevering in the cast ahead 

 with the fox, and back on the foil with the hare. The more 

 hounds spread within reason in this backward cast, the better 

 will be the chance of making the cast a short one. Again, if 

 at check on a road or footpath (the latter not often run over 

 by foxes), when you observe some of your best hounds failing 

 to make it good on one side of cither, it is reasonable to suppose 

 the fox is gone on the other. If your hounds check in a 

 cover in the middle of a run, and the fox is viewed away from 

 it, try and get your hounds together as much as you can in 

 the short time that can be allowed for it, before you cap them 



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