222 HUNTING. 



the foxhound is really a timid animal, and finding a crowd 

 of horses pressing on him, his sole idea will be to get away 

 from them as fast and as far as he can without troubling his head 

 much about the fox. The rider will of course choose his place, 

 left or right, as the way of the wind may determine ; for a fox 

 will naturally as a rule run down wind, though not always. It 

 is impossible to determine with any certainty which way a 

 hunted animal will go ; and it will often happen that without 

 any apparent reason, a fox will set his nose straight against the 

 stiffest breeze. He will rarely, however, keep this course for 

 long ; and in nine cases out of ten you will generally find 

 yourself in the right place by keeping to leeward of the pack. 

 If the day be a still and clear one, no rule can be laid down. 

 Here only experience, and that instinct we have spoken of will 

 avail ; and if you have not them yourself, you must trust your- 

 self to the guidance of those who have. 



When the ploughs are wet, choose always the furrow where 

 the water lies, for there the ground will be hardest. Look out 

 for rushes, where the grass shows indications of a swamp. 

 Take ridge-and-furrow on the slant, where you cannot keep to 

 the furrow. When riding at a brook, of which you know 

 nothing, choose always the neighbourhood of a tree or bush, 

 for there the bank will be firmest ; but if there be no growth 

 of any kind on its edges, and nothing or nobody to guide you, 

 cross where the hounds cross — they follow the fox, and the fox 

 naturally crosses at the narrowest point. Remember, too, 

 that, though hounds go away fast, and you must go fast if you 

 want to get away with them, when once they and you have 

 settled to your work, a run is never over till it is finished. Take 

 every care of your horse, then, that is compatible with keeping 

 your place. Pull him back to a trot whenever you can safely 

 do so. Jump a small fence in preference to a large one, if you 

 have the preference. Rid him of your weight whenever you 

 can safely do so. However light you may ride, to him you 

 can be light only by comparison. Even nine or ten stone is no 

 joke to carry for nine or ten miles. Never holloa when you 



