158 THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 



and speak to it ; the ride is redolent only of the steam 

 of horses, mingled, perhaps, with that of the Indian weed. 

 They cast themselves, with wonted sagacity, at once 

 across. They may be young hounds, in w^hich the 

 owner, or huntsman, has not implicit confidence enough 

 to elicit a cheer ; but any injudicious " hark back," or 

 premature cry of " ware riot," may stop the consumma- 

 tion most devoutly to be wished, delaying, or altogether 

 preventing, a pretty find. It is a terrible mistake, that 

 of raising a shout of "ware hare," and riding after the 

 culprit, however good the motive. The pack hear only 

 a " hollabaloo ;" they can scarcely distinguish the in- 

 tended rating from cheering; those which would have 

 remained neutral, join the row ; and, " save me from my 

 friends," mentally ejaculates the huntsman. If a man be 

 disposed to be useful with his whip, or his voice (and a 

 good sportsman may be, occasionally, of much assistance 

 with both), he must be under the guidance of one or 

 two practical rules. When he sees young or old hounds 

 persevering upon a scent, which others, notoriously of 

 good character, refuse altogether to acknowledge, he will 

 hardly err in stopping them. He is welcome to ride 

 over any hound of mine actually chasing a hare in view, 

 and I will thank him for his pains, whatever he may have 

 inflicted on the hound : but I had rather judgment was 

 suspended upon a hound running the line of a hare ; it 

 is a " non sequitur " that he may not be on the scent of a 



