"Old Daddy Wheeler's out there in front," another would 

 put in. 



One by one the hunters would single out the dogs, recognizing 

 Doughboy and Gale, Mike and Snow, Stumpy and Fletcher. 



They identified the individual dogs, and named their posi- 

 tions in the pack. One hunter heard enough to enable him to 

 describe the fox. 



"That's a nice fox," the man said. "He's a long-legged little 

 scutter." 



Since the hounds start barking as soon as they are released, it 

 would appear difficult to determine when they are actually on 

 the trail of a fox. But not for the hunters. Dewey Graybeal 

 explains it this way: "They bawl lonesome-like on a cold trail, 

 but as it gets hotter they whine and cry like they're gonna die." 



Fences hereabouts have taken terrific wallops from the 

 hounds. Say the chase is on at a furious pace and a fence looms 

 in the fox's path. The fox filters through as if nothing were in 

 the way, but the pack whams it at full throttle. 



"When that happens," said Homer Jones, "you can hear 

 staples squeakin' ten or fifteen rods either way." 



A grown, fully trained dog costs from $150 to $300, although 

 there are many, principally those at stud, which bring vastly 

 higher prices. 



But Homer Jones summed up the average hunter's feeling 

 about the value of a hound: "Some nights you wouldn't take 

 $10,000 for him; other nights you'd be willing to give him away." 



