158 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



We had plenty of time for this short interchange of 

 opinion, as we were working our way up the steep hill- 

 side, which was a regular stopper, and our pace was not 

 much out of a walk. Upon gaining the summit of the 

 hill, the hounds and fox were far away in the distance, 

 but so close together, that I exclaimed to my doubting 

 companion, " You need not hurry now, the business is 

 over." I could see the leading hound make a dash at 

 the fox, which he evaded only to fall into the mouth of 

 another. The only person near the hounds when the 

 fox was pulled down, was the second whipper-in, upon 

 a thorough-bred mare ; the rest — myself included — were 

 not placed ; in short, we were quite out of the race. 

 When we got together, all exclaimed it was the quickest 

 thing ever seen, and were quite delighted at doubling 

 up, in this first-rate style, an old dog fox in our neigh- 

 bour's country. Being then at least twenty-five miles 

 from the kennels, home was the next order of the day. 



The first check that occurs is often the most critical. 

 The fox, being fresh, makes the best use of his legs, and 

 if much time is lost, he will (if a good one) beat you. 

 Many huntsmen at such a moment will do hasty things, 

 being themselves in a wondrous hurry, and out of tem- 

 per, perhaps, at such a sudden contretemps. Coolness 

 at such a moment is, however, the best help out of the 

 difficulty. Let the hounds have their own fling first ; 

 the chances are, if the scent is good, that they have gone 

 over it, unless a flock of sheep have come in their way, 

 or a piece of fallows ; but a good pack of hounds, if given 

 a reasonable time and full room, will recover the scent 

 by their own natural instinct much more readily than 

 when taken hold of by an enterprising genius of a hunts- 



