A HOUND HAVER 109 



then they disturb me/' he added half shame- 

 facedly. 



" I daresay you dream of hounds," said Billy to 

 Tom, as the latter was going off to dinner. 



** Well, very often, sir. The other night I dreamt 

 they were all hunting me, and I couldn't run a yard 

 and broke into a cold sweat as Forager drew close 

 up to me." 



When the kennel-man had gone I had a score of 

 questions to answer. 



" Which is the best all-round hound ? " 



" Well, Bill, I don't think there's any best of all ; 

 there's three or four couple best of all, and each good 

 in a different way. There's Woodman, who will draw 

 find, challenge ; then hunt, speak, and drive ; and 

 is patient and untiring at a check : not so brilliant, 

 perhaps, as Regent, but more reliable. Regent of 

 course is grand for dash and drive and tongue ; 

 but sometimes he is too free, and again is some- 

 times too fast and gets away by himself. We 

 have more than once come upon him, having run 

 up to the fox, sitting and keeping him at bay till 

 the others came up ; for, curiously enough, the poor 

 chap has no teeth at all, and though he is plucky 

 enough, he cannot tackle the fox to any purpose. 

 He is very quick at a check, and always makes a bold 

 wide forward cast down wind first, and then a similar 

 up wind one, and he is nearly always the first to 

 recover it. Of course, he is the best-known hound 

 in the pack, being so prominent and * kenspeckle ' with 

 his rough coat and his white colour, a colour that 

 is most useful, as you can often pick him up against 

 the dark heather at a distance when the others are 



