184 Cross Country with Horse and Hound 



escape her musical tongue, the convulsive twitchings of her 

 muscles, you knov^ she is running a fox once more in her 

 dreams. " Dear old Bluebells ! " says the master, looking 

 fondly down on her, closing the door softly, so as not to 

 disturb her, when he goes out. 



Cub-hunting is a particularly interesting period in the 

 life of a foxhound. Many a promising puppy has finished 

 his career with one or two trials. He may be a magnifi- 

 cent hound in every way, but unable to control his tongue, 

 or run mute, or skirt. The master is particularly anxious 

 during these days as to how his new entry will turn out. 

 Cub-hunting itself is most interesting to all lovers of hound- 

 work. Its drawback is that, owing to the dry, hot weather 

 in September, scent evaporates or disappears so early in the 

 day that six in the morning is as late as it can be expected 

 to be followed. This means being called at half-past four. 

 To a real sporting man the reward for such early rising 

 should be quite sufficient, although I confess to a very limited 

 experience. 



By the first of September the youngsters have become 

 quite proficient in road manners, and keep well clustered, 

 besides showing great improvement in muscle. Plenty of 

 road-walking has made their feet tough, but as yet they 

 have never been blooded to the game they are to hunt. 

 They have much to learn these cub-hunting days. The 

 inexperienced puppy drops his head to the scent of a rab- 

 bit, a squirrel, a skunk, or a coon, and away he goes, full of 

 fire and drive. But the huntsman knows it is not a fox, 

 for the old hounds have hunted the ground over and said 

 nothing about it ; and Puppy is rebuked. Next a rabbit 



