FOX-HUNTING 171 



draw such places without a courteous con- 

 sideration of the shooting - tenant's con- 

 venience, and when this is done it will 

 generally be found that the shooting-man 

 generously responds to the desire not to 

 spoil his sport. Little harm is done to game 

 by running through a covert, and unless the 

 Master knew that such a place was just about 

 to be shot, he could not be expected in a 

 good run to stop hounds. Necessity knows 

 no law, and in a good thing, and in the heat 

 of action, fox-hunters would be false to their 

 calling to abandon the pursuit without a 

 very strong reason. Where there is any 

 danger of an annoyance to a covert owner, 

 a polite letter, or, still better, a call to explain, 

 will probably cause the aggrieved one to 

 discount heavily his previous estimate of 



