BEAGLING, 103 



whistle of their wings first making us aware of their presence. 

 They are circling high above us, not daring to pitch, and will 

 probably take a fresh flight to another and larger sheet of water 

 about three miles further on. 



We must, however, return to the pack. The Master is 

 moving off, and as he waves the pack over a bank into the heather 

 any hound throwing his tongue will be severely dealt with if the 

 whipper-in can only .2:et near enough to administer one cut, 

 accompanied by ** Ware riot. Melody!" for business has 

 begun. 



Ten couple of hounds there are in all, and two couple of them 

 are unentered. Melody is one of these, and while there must be 

 no question of sparing the rod, we have a fellow-feeling for her 

 exuberance of spirits. The delinquent already has her stern up 

 once more (it was momentarily lowered on receipt of the 

 whipper-in's practical rebuke), and is as busy as any of them, 

 flinging here and there, and pushing her way into a cluster of 

 hounds which look remarkably busy, for, yes ! they have already 

 struck a line, no doubt of a hare returning from feeding in the 

 grass meadows adjoining the common. 



The huntsman maintains a masterly inactivity, merely rating 

 any hound which shows an inclination to dwell on the line. Now 

 they are running quite merrily across the heather, but come to 

 a stop where the hare has taken to one of the paths which abound 

 hereabouts. She has run the path for quite eighty yards, and 

 only the older hounds can carry the line along it, the body of the 

 pack casting about, and showing a slight inclination to run heel. 

 The huntsman, however, holds them forward, walking quietly 

 along the path, well in rear of those hounds who are carrying the 

 line. 



These tactics result in a pretty hit, for, although the hare 

 has run the road for eighty yards, she has run her foil for at 

 least twenty-five before flinging off, so that the body hit the line 

 out of the path while the old hounds are still picking out the 

 scent further along ; but these at once go to cry, and the whole 

 pack flings briskly forward. The huntsman allows them very 

 ample room, knowing that puss has very likely made her form 

 not far away. See ! they have overrun the scent, and, as they 

 spread back fan-like to recover the line, up jumps the hare and 

 off they go, running in view for a short distance, and then taking 

 up the line with a chorus which at once proclaims a scent. 



The whipper-in is lying wide, and succeeds in turning the hare 

 out of a broad sandy path which would otherwise undoubtedly have 

 caused a check ; and away they go over the open heather at a 



