86 HUNTING. 



should not be the huntsman, and that he should on no pretence 

 whatever, except at the request of the master or huntsman, 

 interfere with the pack, unless the hare has entered a fox 

 covert, game preserve, or any tract of country forbidden to 

 the hunt. This horseman should have strict injunctions not 

 to ride to the hounds, but to hover on the outskirts of the line 

 of chase, always leanmg to that side which is nearest to the 

 forbidden country, and his duties should be, in the first place, 

 to endeavour to head the hare away from that direction, and 

 if he fail in that, to stop the hounds before they enter such 

 country. 



If this precaution is carefully carried out, much of the fox- 

 hunter's jealousy of beagling will disappear, and it is certain 

 that any landowner or farmer who has forbidden the little 

 jelly-dogs to cross his land will be far sooner reconciled by 

 seeing his veto respected than by any apology offered after the 

 trespass (for such it is) has been committed. 



The huntsman of a foot-pack should never be mounted, 

 for a mounted huntsman will always, in some degree, spoil the 

 sport for those on foot. 



In the first place, hounds will generally get away more quickly 

 and go faster with a horse behind or alongside of them, and this 

 is a little hard on the runners. The case is harder still at a check. 

 A man may have toiled bravely after the pack for some twenty 

 minutes or so, and is congratulating himself on their having 

 checked at last. Fancy the feelings of this poor fellow if the 

 hounds are at once cast at a hand canter, and hit off the line 

 before he has had a moment to recover his wind! Worst of all 

 is it if, the cast having been unsuccessful, a holloa is heard at 

 the distance of some half-mile or more, and perhaps uphill all 

 the way. Off gallops the huntsman, and if he be excited may 

 add insult to injury by shouting to the brave runner to ' put 

 'em to him ' when he has hardly got enough steam left in him 

 to crawl after the fast disappearing pack. This is grievous 

 indeed, and shows the advisability of the huntsman sharing the 

 toil with his fcllow-sporlsmen. 



