Sir yohn Cope s Ho^inds. 1 1 3 



peculiar kind of hound with which Sir John began to 

 hunt, which few sportsmen now living can remember ; 

 and next, to relate the extraordinary performance of 

 his dog Sampson, which deserves to be recorded. 



Those who knew Sir John Cope's hounds only since 

 the year 1830, can have little idea how very different 

 they had been in character some ten years before 

 that period. They were a light, airy-looking ani- 

 mal, higher on the legs and longer in the neck, but 

 scarcely of more substance than the H. H., or than 

 the largest of Mr. Chute's. They were, however, a 

 remarkably wiry, muscular race, and I am inclined to 

 think that, either from natural constitution, or from 

 being accustomed to harder work, they were the most 

 difficult to tire of all the three packs. It is certain 

 that they actually did more work ; for they travelled 

 longer distances, and drew later in the day. They 

 were very clever and effective in their way ; but it 

 was a way peculiar to themselves ; for they were so 

 fond of independent action that many people did not 

 scruple to call them a pack of skirters ; and it is 

 certain that if any neighbouring master of hounds 

 bred from them, he found in the produce a tendency 

 to get wide. This peculiarity, however, gave them an 

 advantage in cover ; it was difficult for a fox to live 

 long before them in a wood ; for while a certain 

 number were working on his scent, the others, instead 

 of going direct to the cry, would be scoring away on 

 either side, hoping for a turn in their own favour ; so 

 that, whichever way the fox might turn, he was sure 

 to be crossed by some of these outsiders, who would 

 thus become the leading hounds. Once, when Mr. 

 Warde had given these hounds a draw in the Craven 



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