174 RIDING, DRIVING AND KINDRED SPORTS 



than In any inherent difficulty in the sport 

 itself. The man who really wishes to have 

 good sport with hounds in India must be pre- 

 pared to take a great deal of trouble, and he 

 must know somethino- of huntino- hounds. To 



o o 



sit on a horse and to blow a horn is not the 

 whole art of hunting. The cost, too, is con- 

 siderable, since, even with care and economy, 

 a pack of hounds in India cannot be a cheap 

 matter. Nevertheless it can be done, and has 

 been done, and good sport has been shown 

 whenever and wherever a pack of hounds has 

 been kept, if only the master has been able 

 and willing to give the requisite personal atten- 

 tion and trouble to the matter. The first 

 thing, however, is to procure some hounds ; 

 and this can only be done in two ways, either 

 by importing hounds or by buying those which 

 have been in the country a season. The 

 Bombay and Poonah hounds are generally sold 

 at the close of their respective seasons, for both 

 these hunts adopt the plan of importing a fresh 

 pack every year. This is necessary, indeed, 

 unless you are so near to the hills that you 

 can, as the Peshawur Vale do, keep your 

 hounds at a hill station for the hot months. 

 My own experience leads me to think that the 

 latter is the better plan where practicable. 

 The best packs I have had have been those 



