THE ROYAL HOUNDS, 225 



Hounds In a hardele are at no time very manage- 

 able, as anyone will realise who ever saw the second 

 horseman In the Blackmore Vale In Mr. Merthyr 

 Guest's time taking home such puppies as were 

 thought to have done enough. 



The nature of the ground would drive the Master 

 of Game to have recourse to the modern system of 

 tufting, of which he expresses disapproval save as a 

 last resort : 



" Nevertheless I have seen when a lymer sueth 

 long and could not so soon move him as men would " 

 (we notice that impatience of a long draw then as 

 now was a characteristic of the field) "that they 

 have taken up the lymer and uncoupled one or two 

 hounds to have him sooner found, but this truly no 

 skilful hunter ought to do unless the lymer cannot 

 put it forth " or unless It be getting late. 



" When the lymer hath moved him and thelymerer 

 can see him that It Is the right deer, he shall blow a 

 note and recheat." 



A recheat, of which more hereafter, was a rather 

 complicated combination of long and short notes. 

 If the deer is alone the berner Is to uncouple the 

 raches, but if he is not alone, then two hounds were 

 considered suflficlent till he should be separated. 

 If the lymerer does not see the hart, but judges by 

 the lair and the fues and other signs that it Is the 

 deer which was harboured, " he should blow a recheat 

 without a long mote, for the mote should never be blown 

 before recheatlngunless a man seethwhat he hunteth." 



9 



