HUNTING 133 



member what Louis XIV said: " Punctuality is the 

 politeness of Kings." 



If the meet is a large one there will be undoubtedly 

 many out merely "to see, others to be seen, some for the 

 ride out, others for the ride 'ome, some for happetites, 

 some for 'ealth, some to get away from their wives, 

 and a few to hunt." And one must be careful, there- 

 fore, not to be trapped into a lengthy chat or much 

 " coffee-housing," but rather keep a good watch out 

 so as to be in a good position when hounds move off 

 to covert. For although, of course, while a covert is 

 being drawn, the field must never move away before 

 the hounds, nevertheless, if you are not alert you 

 may lose, in the first few moments, many an oppor- 

 tunity to get well away, and what is lost then will 

 take an unnecessary amount out of your horse when 

 trying to make it up later. On the other hand, if you 

 do not intend to ride hard and straight and jump 

 every fence in your way, you should take a more back- 

 ward position in the line to covert-side, for nothing is 

 so annoying for the rest of the field as to have an 

 ignoramus sailing out in front, and at the last moment 

 pulling off of a fence and upsetting every one's horse. 



Once the covert-side has been reached silence should 

 be more or less observed. The Master's temper will 

 be spoiled, or a fox will be turned back into covert 

 very quickly by the chatter and laughter of women, 

 who, for the most part, are out to be seen and heard 

 rather than to hunt. "I do not say that you are 

 never to open your mouth, but I think that if the 

 inmates of your deaf-and-dumb asylums kept hounds 

 they would show sport far above the average, and 

 would seldom go home without blood." (Whyte 

 Melville.) On the whole, it is also best to leave any 



