64 Horse and Hound. 



recall ever seeing one of them on a i6-hand horse. 

 More than once I have trailed behind one of them 

 through thickets and brush almost impassable to 

 ordinary horses, they blazing and opening the 

 way at full speed. On more than one occasion 

 have I seen Woods Walker in thick woodland put 

 his horse at a fallen tree with boughs and leaves 

 still on, measuring eight to ten feet high. Of 

 course, he did not clear it, but went high enough 

 to force the smaller limbs and boughs aside and 

 let him through and over; showing the courage 

 of, and the unbounded confidence the horse had 

 in the rider. I never attempted to follow him but 

 once, and then came to grief, landing with my 

 horse on top of the fallen tree, much to my 

 chagrin. 



Many a good run has been spoiled by not al- 

 lowing the hounds to settle well on the line be- 

 fore being crowded by hunters ; many get excited 

 and hardly know what they are doing. 



The practiced ear will readily distinguish a 

 hound's tongue when out of sight. When you 

 hear a hound open do not put spurs to your horse 

 to get to him unless you recognize his voice and 

 know the hound very well; he may fool you. If 

 other hounds are in sight watch them closely, they 

 will "heads up" at the sound and listen intently, 

 and if not thoroughly satisfied, will again go to 

 hunting. This may be repeated several times; 

 then, without any apparent difference in tone or 



