14 HOUND AND HORN 



puppies, all made the days pass like a midsummer 

 dream. 



The puppies were soon made handy in the couples, 

 and shortly after this their ears were rounded. This 

 operation was performed by the huntsman of a 

 neighbouring pack, who, by special favour, rode over 

 to do it, and brought two couple of draft hounds 

 with him as an offering of goodwill, and to strengthen 

 our pack. 



It was a noteworthy day, and every effort had 

 been made in the kennels to have things in apple- 

 pie order ; and the great man was pleased to express 

 his approval, and to say, " We looked a very useful 

 lot." His remark as to the new huntsman, afterwards 

 passed on to me, was : ** I daresay he'll hunt the 

 hounds well enough, quite as well as any amature." 

 He gave many valuable hints, one of the chief 

 being : ^' The first day you hunt be sure to choose 

 a place where you are certain of finding cubs, and 

 where there is no riot. Blood your young hounds 

 if possible ; but above all get them to smell him 

 and chase him. To run a hot blowing fox before 

 they kill him is more important for young hounds 

 than the actual killing ; the worry often frightens 

 them till they know what it is." 



Episode the first was the eating of Peter Amos, 

 the shepherd's, favourite cat. Hounds would not 

 look at the cats about the farm steading, and indeed 

 two or three lived in the kennels and used to steal 

 meat out of the feeding troughs. But this one in- 

 vited its fate, for one early morning it pounced on a 

 young rabbit and carried it off, trotting along the 

 road in front of us for two or three hundred yards. 



