88 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN 



myself master of the heavy work, and if possible to teach the 

 best foxes to fly. Let all young sportsmen lay this down as a 

 rule, that not only the fox, who has a more than common share 

 of reason and cunning in his head, but every animal of chase, 

 has full sense enough to know when he is safe ; and if a hunts- 

 man permits his foxes to find out that he can neither make them 

 break, nor kill them in large covers (in the large covers during 

 the best part of the hunting season they will be), he will find 

 his open country deserted. No man knew a fox better than my 

 father's huntsman, Tom Oldaker ; and no man understood the 

 fox better than Lord Fitzhardinge : than Lord Fitzhardinge's 

 present huntsman the annals of sporting could not show a better. 

 Harry Ayris is always with his hounds, a first-rate rider over a 

 country, quick as lightning when he should be so, and patient 

 and quiet when hounds ought to be let alone ; and in addition 

 to this, as fine a sportsman, and as good a servant as ever had 

 the charge of a magnificent kennel. It was said of Tom 

 Oldaker, that when there was little or no scent to serve him, he 

 could "guess a fox to death." In these few words lies the 

 greater portion of a huntsman's field duty. He should be able, 

 when the hounds are thoroughly at a loss, to assist them ; and 

 while their noses are down in vain, his head should be up in 

 thought as to the probable point for which the fox was making. 



In summer, every day that my hounds were fit taking care 

 never to jade them, and after sufficient work, if possible always 

 to leave off on the death of a fox found me in one place or 

 other of the great woodlands ; and when I discovered that the 

 foxes would hang in the thorny and most severe quarters of 

 Odell great wood, and other woods like it, I took the hint from 

 the effect it has in a gorse cover, and gave the fox to the hounds 

 in the midst of the bushes. What effect all this had on the 

 woodland foxes, the sequel of this true history will show. 



The first of September approached ; and I remember dining 

 at Bletsoe, just before its arrival, with Mr. St. Leger. Mr. 

 Magniac, from Colworth, dined there, whom I had known as a 

 hard rider, with my staghounds, on a famous gray mare, and 



