A '' Lme-hunter" the Fasted. 93 



George Evans once said to me, when he 

 hunted my pack: "They want no hunting. 

 They make their own casts." 



But there are many other things to re- 

 member in getting a pack together. More 

 than sixty years ago my father wrote : — 



'' There are some foxes and circumstances 

 that will defeat the wisest Master, and the 

 wisest huntsman, even if they were really 

 as wise as they fancy they are. If you are 

 beaten — and beaten you will be at times — 

 examine yourself well into the cause of it, 

 and you will find in nine cases out of ten 

 that you lost him through not paying atten- 

 tion to your line-hunting hounds. All the 

 world are breeding for speed, but I have 

 often proved what I tell you, that a line- 

 hunter is the fastest hound. Heaven only 

 knows the agony I endure when I see a 

 hound flashing and flying about, with his head 

 in the air, or when I see a fellow with his 

 mouth open, screaming like a fieldkeeper. 



" How is a line-hunter the fastest hound ? 

 Well, by a killing line-hunter is meant, not a 



