THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 181 



enough, as many as can come at all, and we are not in 

 the habit of capping for field money; but let every 

 hound have a full view of the object of his pursuit. 

 Let the huntsman, or any of the officials who chance 

 to be first at the death, as soon as the fox is killed, place 

 his foot firmly on his body, and with his voice, and the 

 lash of his whip, save him from being broken up : there 

 let him lie upon the ground, or throw him across the 

 branch of some adjacent tree, while the whipper-in is cut- 

 ting off his mask, brush, and pads. If the kill takes place 

 in a wheat-field, pleasure-ground, or on any spot hkely 

 to suffer from the influx of spectators, and tramphng of 

 horses, always remove the ceremony to the fittest place 

 convenient. After a sharp, short, and decisive thing, in 

 a muggy warm day, it is lucky if a pond be contiguous ; 

 the hounds will do greater justice to the banquet after 

 freely lapping, and it does not look well to be long in 

 breaking up a fox. A pack that have finished the run 

 properly, generally make clean work of the whole affair. 

 Do not keep them too long tantalized. There is a 

 method, even in this part of the day's business. I have 

 seen them in Ireland run into their fox, and finish him 

 at once, as they would have done a rabbit they had 

 pounced upon, without any one offering to dismount, 

 even to ascertain the age or sex of the animal ; but this 

 is a miserable finale; the hounds which have fought 

 hardest through the day, may have the least share in. 



