MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 37 



shoot where hounds never came. We knew, however, 

 that he was quite wrong, but as he only shot on Satur- 

 days, when the hounds of his particular district were on 

 the other side of their country, it was only natural that 

 he had never seen them. However, we did not argue 

 the point, and he then remarked how good a thing it 

 was for the shooters that so many packs of hounds did 

 not even desire to have wild foxes kept for them. " I 



am told," he said, '* that in the country they always 



run a drag, and turn a fox down after an hour or so, 

 keeping a stock of foxes at home." He went on to say 

 that he was told this suited the hunting people best, 

 because they were always sure of a run, and generally 

 had a kill as well ; and we let him exhaust the subject, 

 and then asked him where he got his information. 

 "From my keeper of course; he's a real knowing 

 fellow ; they cannot hoodwink him ; he has found out 

 all about it." This is a sample of the mischief which 

 the inner consciousness of an unscrupulous man can 

 evolve, and doubtless thousands of shooting men 

 all over the country are hoodwinked in some degree or 

 other. 



And now to describe some of the common tricks of 

 the worst class of gamekeepers, and first we may re- 

 mark that amongst gamekeepers, as amongst men of 

 every calling, there are thousands of the finest 

 character, honest by nature and honest by practice, 

 men who are scrupulous to a degree, and who would 

 not dream of interfering with a fox in a hunting 

 country. But on the other hand excessive game pre- 

 servation has introduced another class as well, and 

 these, partly because of their surroundings and the 

 curious position in which they are placed, seem to be 

 entirely without any sense of the fitness of things, and 



