154 HUNTING. 



were on their way home and heard the horn and came, I know 

 not, and never was able to make out from the country people ; 

 but there they were. 



Now Bill Long's system I hold to be correct. Whichever 

 whipper-in happened to be on the side the hounds broke 

 away had to go with the hounds, and the other one coming 

 round or through the covert, making use of his voice and 

 holloaing ' Forward,' &c., wa? to make the best of his way 

 after them, being sure to turn round with his face to the covert 

 before setting off, and holloaing ' Away,' at the top of his voice, 

 so as to insure any straggling hound hearing him ; and then 

 he used to come on. Of course, in the event of hounds 

 dividing, it would be the duty of whichever whipper-in happens 

 to be nearest the smaller lot to do his best to stop them, and 

 make them join the body of the pack. I am confident that, 

 besides the injury to horseflesh caused by sending back for 

 hounds, it tends more to make hounds helpless and slack than 

 anything else in the world. All hounds dislike being left 

 behind, and all hounds when let alone will find their way home. 

 Often have I seen Tom Clark sitting under a covert blowing his 

 horn. ' What are you doing there ? ' ' Two couple of hounds 

 away.' * Well, if you sit there for a week they won't come. 

 Shog on ! ' and before he had gone three fields I have seen 

 them coming at a good pace. 



Whilst hounds are drawing a whipper-in cannot be too 

 quiet. If hounds riot and he can get to them to stop them, 

 let him do so without making a noise ; if he cannot, then he 

 must rate them ; but the more quietly the better. If they take 

 a scent heel-ways, the quieter and lower he says * Ware heel ! ' 

 the better. If he is in a big covert watching a straight ride 

 let him never turn his head or take his eye off the ride, for 

 at that instant a fox will surely cross ; and most particularly 

 if he sees him cross, even if he holloas immediately, let him 

 not take his eye off the ride for a minute or two, as the re- 

 sult of holloaing immediately a fox has crossed a ride often is 

 to make him pop back again over the ride, and if he does that 



