256 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



of the list, some few years since, was so bothered in a 

 lai'ge woodland (where foxes abounded) by their always 

 beating his hounds, that he had recourse to rather an 

 unsportsmanlike method of thinning their numbers, and 

 bringing home a fox's head — we cannot say in triumph. 

 The keeper had received orders to stand in some out of 

 the way ride, where the foxes crossed, and after the 

 hounds had been running their allotted time of two hours 

 or so, and the coast was clear of riders in that direction, 

 to give Mr. Reynolds, en 'passant, a salute in the rear, 

 not for the purpose of helping him on his already too fast 

 career, but to stop it short at once by breaking one of 

 his legs, or otherwise maiming him. 



Another master of hounds who was out one day in 

 these woodlands hearing the report of a gun, and observ- 

 ing his old friend toddling off in that direction, smelt a 

 rat, and, proceeding quietly on his track, overheard the 

 following conversation with the keeper : — " Well, Wil- 

 liam, did you tickle him a bit ?" " No, Sir, I missed 

 'un clean, but better luck next time he comes round." 

 This brother master, being a facetious fellow, used to 

 remark afterwards of his friend's hounds that the black 

 hitch was the best hound in the pach. 



The gentleman who afterwards succeeded to these 

 same coverts, having got together a new pack of hounds, 

 found the same difficulty at first in making the foxes 

 break covert ; but he adopted a different and much more 

 merciful plan. He caused large fires to be lit, and kept 

 burning during the night, to scare them away. One of 

 his field having joined Mr. Slowman's hunt was greeted 

 by my old friend in his usual sarcastic manner when 

 things did not go to his liking : — " So, I find there is a 



