"Wc have looked at the facilities afforded to hunting men by railways ; let us now 

 see what arc the drawbacks to be encouutered. All will uudoiibtedly agree that the 

 danger to hounds is the chief one. At times this is very great, especially as the 

 railroad is not "of a natiu'c to hold a high sceut, and induce hounds to cross it quickly. 

 But when we consider how general railroads are at the present time, and the number of 

 hoimds out every day dm-ing the season, it is obvioiis that the danger lies more in 

 imagination than reality. Of course hounds are killed, but not nearly so often as wc 

 may suppose they would be, and instances are by no means rare of trains passing ttrough 

 the pack without injuring a single one. 



Tliis happened a few years ago to the Tedworth, near Aniport, and on the very 

 line which Assheton Smith took so much trouble to oppose from an idea it would 

 injure his country and sport. The whole pack checked on the railway when 

 an express came along. Fricker, Colonel Carlton, ourselves, and several others 

 galloped up, quite expecting to see a large portion of them cut to pieces, but 

 strange to relate not a hound was touched. Generally speaking, hounds can be stopped 

 when there is danger of a passing train, and this was done on the Tuesday before the late 

 lamentable accident to Sir C. Slingsby and others in the York and Ainsty country. On 

 that occasion with the second fox, the railroad proved a real boon in the then deep state of 

 the country, as by getting on its firm siu-face a few of the field were enabled to reach the 

 hoimds, who could never have done so but for its aid. In fact, it was generally believed 

 that but for this the fox would have been run into and eaten ere any one could get to the 

 hounds. Several times, especially with deer hounds, has it been our lot to use the 

 railroad as a horse track, and once in the south of England the deer ran a considerable 

 distance before the train ; the driver, however, gave him every chance, by slackening 

 sjieed as miich as he possibly could. If we are not mistaken, it is only aboiit three 

 years ago that the lioyal Buckhounds brought a deer right into Paddington station, 

 after a A'cry hard and severe run. And the same pack are often glad to have recoui'se 

 to the aid of steam to convey hounds, horses, and men to the Ascot kennels. 



Foxes, as a rule, fortunately very seldom run any distance on railwaj's, but merely 

 cross them, and thus the danger is in a great degree lessened ; but deer, unless 

 turned on one side, will run for miles on them, and it is extraordinary that hounds do 

 not meet with more accidents from trains when piu'suing them. From the cuttings and 

 embankments they form a nasty obstacle to cross, and not un&'cquentlj^, as is represented 

 in our engraving, the fences have to be pulled down ere a passage can be effected. This 

 we saw occur no less than three or four times during one day with the Badsworth, when 

 the fox, contrary to the usual habit, kept threading the line, while every gate at the 

 crossings Avas locked. Taken on the M'hole, however, wc must consider railwaj's as great 

 a boon to hunting men as they have proved to the rest of the community ; and very few, 

 wc fancy, would sacrifice the convenience for the trifling annoyance they cause. By their 

 aid distant coimtrics can be explored and packs seen that formerly were tabooed to the 

 man of moderate means, and for no very great expense a man may now hunt from tlic 

 Land's End to John o' Groat's during the same season. A fiiend of ours who took Ids 

 stud into Devon and Dorsetshii-e to finish the present season, and was there a fortnight, 

 withoTit seeing a fox found, maj- perhaps differ fi-om tlicse views, and thiiik that he would 

 have been better at home, where foxes were plenty, if the country was none of tlie 

 best. But this is an exceptional case, and a man may never meet with such another 

 instance of ill-luck dm-ing a life-time. At any rate, for the best of all cover hacks 

 commend us to the Iron Horse. 



