254 TO AVOID LOSING HOGS. 



hog has taken ; (a flourish of the cap round the 

 head indicates it to be a large boar) this signal 

 is repeated to the next, and so on until it is made 

 known to all. They should take their stands 

 fifteen or twenty yards from the edge of the cane, 

 behind a tree, or bush, if there is any; at all 

 events, as much out of sight as possible, and not 

 ride after a hog as soon as he breaks cover, 

 particularly if he is proceeding towards an open 

 country, but let him go quietly off one or two 

 hundred yards, that he may not be induced to 

 return to the same cane, from which it is often 

 difficult to start him a second time, and by 

 waiting, the other sportsmen will be close after : 

 many hogs are lost from too much eagerness. 



It is always advisable that one or two sports- 

 men, according to the number that are out, 

 should remain behind for a few minutes, to see if 

 any more hogs break cover ; if there should not, 

 and a large part of the cane has not been gone 

 through by the beaters, their proceeding a n d 

 making a noise should be stopped, until the hog 

 pursued is killed or lost, when they should re- 

 commence beating. I have known all the 

 gentlemen ride off after a small boar, and no 



