THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



world, as well as others of all descriptions. The management of 

 a held is no easy task, and, in one respect, resembles that of a 

 community. In reference to the latter, a celebrated Roman 

 historian, Dion Cassius, says — " The times are bad when men 

 are not permitted to do what they please, and worse when they 

 are permitted to do everything they please." Thus it is with 

 men who attend hounds; they must be kept within some 

 bounds, and in the mode of doing it lies the difficulty. As " a 

 soft answer turneth away wrath," so, perhaps, a gentle rebuke 

 to a too-forward rider, at certain times, has more effect than a 

 coarser expression. The more popular a master of foxhounds 

 is, the better sport will he have, because every one will endeavour 

 to promote it — I should, perhaps, rather have said, no one 

 will wilfully mar it. As, however, next to destroyers of foxes, 

 the greatest spoilers of sport are hard but injudicious riders, 

 if ever you have occasion to address them, you might avail 

 yourself of the following words, from the pen of an eminent 

 sportsman : — 



' " A good sportsman will, as often as possible, ride parallel 

 with the pack, not after them, unless, by short turns, he is 

 obliged to do otherwise ; by these means he can see everything 

 that is going on, and anticipate the probable cause of the 

 hounds coming to a fault. For example, a village, a farm- 

 house, a team at plough, men at work, sheep, and, above all, 

 cattle, are the things most likely to impede the scent. When 

 any of these objects present themselves in the face of hounds, 

 you may then anticipate a check, and by pulling up your 

 horse, and observing which way the pack inclined before the 

 check, their huntsman will be able to hold them on in the 

 most likely direction to hit off the scent again." And you 

 yourself, as huntsman, will obtain a lesson here. If casting 

 is necessary, you should be directed by the pace or degree of 

 scent which you brought to the place where your hounds 

 threw up ; for if you came quickly, and your hounds are not 

 blown (be sure attend to that), you make a quick cast in the 

 direction towards which they were inclining, by forming a 

 small circle first, and a larger one afterwards, if you are not 

 successful with the first ; but if your hounds are blown, you 

 should invariably cast them very quietly, and hold them back, 

 for when hounds have run hard for a long way, they lose their 

 noses for want of wind, and run beyond the scent, especially 



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