1 86 HUNTING THE HARE 



suddenly, once more spreading out like a fan. lUit 

 they are only momentarily at fault. Poor puss 

 is down, her heart having failed her after coming 

 about two miles straight, and she is up and off in 

 view as soon as the hounds, who have slightly overrun 

 the scent, spread back to where she has clapped. 

 She heads for home, and hounds run fast for another 

 fifteen minutes before checking on the island farm 

 which they crossed in the first burst. 



The sun is getting strong l)y this lime, and scent 

 does not serve so well on the arable land. Hounds 

 slowly carry the line into the middle of a newly 

 ploughed hillside field, and gradually come to a stop. 

 Evidently the hare is forward, so, after leaving his 

 hounds alone sufficiently long to enable them to 

 recover the line, unassisted if they can, the huntsman 

 resolves on a cast 'forrard.' He whistles his hounds 

 to him, and at a gentle double casts them round the 

 fence from about opposite to where they checkedj 

 keeping his hounds in front of him, and giving them 

 time to try as they go. Almost immediately one of 

 the puppies speaks, and out pops a rabbit right under 

 his nose. The huntsman rates ' Ware rabbit ! ' and, 

 very much to their credit, none of the old hounds 

 break away. It is, however, altogether too much for 



