HUNT SERVANTS. 139 



babilities are that the fox has been turned, and after the hounds 

 have tried their best and failed to recover the scent, the 

 huntsman must try his hand, but he must always allow the 

 hounds to have a good try first. In a strange country, and 

 where there is nothing to indicate whether the fox has most 

 likely turned right or left or straight back, a short cast up the 

 wind and a longer one down the wind is not a bad mode of 

 solving the difficulty. 



There is one check that beats hounds and the best of 

 huntsmen, and that is when the fox not having been turned 

 hounds check on his line. That very mysterious and little 

 understood thing, scent, brings this about at times. It seems 

 to float up in the air above the hounds' heads, and when the 

 huntsman returns, after ten minutes' vain endeavour to hit off 

 his fox, away go the hounds straight on from the very place at 

 which they checked. Another thing that .constantly baffles a 

 huntsman is when, the fox being ten minutes before the hounds, 

 the object that frightened and turned him has passed out of 

 sight before the arrival of hounds and huntsmen. The great 

 thing for a huntsman to remember is that the hounds are more 

 likely to recover the scent than the huntsman if they only have 

 sufficient time given them, and the longer in reason he lets 

 them alone the better ; but when once he thinks they have had 

 sufficient time the sooner he makes his cast the better. Old 

 Goosey, the late Duke of Rutland's celebrated huntsman, used 

 to say, ' I take leave to say that a fox is a toddling animal, and 

 never stops, and if you are not quick after him you will very 

 soon lose him.' On open downs, where there is always a great 

 draught, hounds are constantly blown off the line and want 

 their heads just turning up the wind, and then away they go 

 again. 



A huntsman should keep as near his hounds as he can 

 without inconveniencing them, and never be straight behind 

 them, otherwise he will drive them when they wish to turn and 

 bring them to check. Whilst hounds are running the huntsman's 

 eyes should always be well forward. If he has good quick eyes 



