LETTER XIX. 211 



knew any one come out with us, and return home dis- 

 satisfied. In our hilly country, especially, the hounds 

 invariably beat the horses, and in woodlands they would 

 dash and spring over the short stuff like greyhounds ; 

 fences and gates also they took flying. 



In the kennel they were savage, and would not be 

 struck with impunity. The whipper-in one day, whilst 

 I was absent, thought proper to exercise his whip among 

 them, which they resented by turning upon him, and he 

 was obliged to fly over the palings, one of the hounds 

 tearing off the skirt of his coat, as he was scrambling 

 over. On another occasion the old kennel huntsman 

 applied the thong rather unceremoniously to one of the 

 hounds, which he had by himself, when he turned upon 

 him, and, catching him by the coat collar, pulled him 

 down on his back. The dog did not attempt to injure 

 him further. There was one particularly cross and savage 

 with the other hounds, and, catching him one day fight- 

 ing and quarrelling, I called the other hounds out of the 

 kennel, and resolved to make him know better. I laid 

 the whip upon him sharply ; but, at every cut I gave 

 him, he jumped at me, with his bristles up, as savage as 

 a lion. Seeing I might kill but could not subdue him, 

 I threw the whip down on the floor, and, holding out 

 my hand, called him to me by name. He immediately 

 approached, with his bristles and stern well up still, and 

 licked the hand held out to him. The lesson was never 

 forgotten by me. I adopted afterwards the plan of 

 separating at night the most quarrelsome, but in the 

 summer it was difficult to keep them from fighting with- 

 out constant and long exercise. More, however, was 

 done by the voice than the whip, which I found only 



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