IG A HUNTING CATECHISM 



bath in the house! Finally, a maid-servant made 

 the proposal, " An why wouldn't a peggy-tub do, 

 your honour ? " And so a peggy-tub it had to be. 



It often happens that those who reside at a 

 long distance from the meet, and know the 

 direction in which hounds will proceed, try 

 to save themselves and their horses extra fatigue, 

 and stop a few miles short of the actual place of 

 meeting. There can be no harm in this, if done 

 with discretion, but on no account must the side 

 of the covert that is going to be the first drawn 

 be selected as the halting-place ; any foxes within 

 will probably be disturbed by the sound of 

 voices and laughter, and taking the hint will 

 make their exit before the advent of the hounds. 

 No one should stop within a couple of fields of a 

 covert ; and preferably a lane should be chosen 

 to wait in. Some may select the nearest public- 

 house, but this can scarcely be recommended as 

 a habit to be adopted ! 



For the same reason — fear of disturbing foxes 

 that will be wanted during the day — when riding 

 to covert do not indulge in a short cut down the 

 rides of a covert that will be drawn later on, but 

 rather take the longer route and keep to the 

 road; then if no fox is forthcoming when the 

 covert is drawn, at least there can be no uneasy 

 feeling on the part of the rider in a hurry, or 

 too solicitous of saving every possible yard of 

 distance, that the blank draw has been caused 

 by any fault of his doing. 



There are men who get themselves disliked 

 from their custom of starting late for the meet, 

 and then galloping to covert on a hack — though 

 nowadays probably a motor-car is used instead 

 — and carelessly passing very fresh horses, 



