198 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



hounds more eager ; and first come first served being 

 the order of the day, the tail hounds pressed more for- 

 ward when their game was sinking. This may be con- 

 sidered by many an old-fashioned fancy. It was, however, 

 my usual practice for many years, and my hounds were 

 second to none in their performances during that period. 

 They were expert carvers also. We had only two more 

 days in Mr. Slowman's country ; one a woodland affair, 

 when we ran a fox to ground late in the day, after 

 changing and chopping about with half a dozen ; getting 

 him out was impracticable, as he had saved himself in the 

 main earths, which struck me had been opened for that 

 purpose. 



When a fox has run to ground, many are in a great 

 hurry to take the hounds away ; and I have known this 

 carried to so great an extent, that the hounds would at 

 last scarcely mark a fox to ground. Some of the best 

 chases often end in this manner, the disappointment 

 being greater to the hounds than to any other party con- 

 cerned. The least one can do is to allow them a certain 

 time at the earth ; and I think it is of great service to 

 hounds to dig a fox out occasionally, when the place is 

 not a very stronghold. I had always a few terriers, 

 which lived with the hounds, and ran with them also. 

 They had been many years in the family, and were fast 

 as well as good. They were capital at bolting a fox, but 

 if he would not bolt, they would invariably kill him. I 

 had two of these out with me one day, when we ran a 

 fox into a drain in our home country. The youngest 

 dog was in first, but not being able to get to the fox's 

 head, held him by the brush. The old dog was so near 

 that the whipper-in seized him by the tail, and, cheering 



