138 THE SCHOOLMASTER WANTED. 



all times to a fox-hunter). Coming to the spot 

 where they were carrying the scent when stopped, 

 they hit it off again, and finally ran in to their fox. 

 The Huntsman being required to explain his mo- 

 tive for taking his hounds off their line, said he 

 thought they must be hunting foul, as no fox should 

 have taken that line of country : his point ought to 

 have been such a covert. On being told that foxes 

 would sometimes follow their own opinions instead of 

 his in such particulars, he merely said, " If the fox 

 was a fool, it was no fault of his." So much for 

 Huntsmen relying on their own opinion instead of the 

 sagacity and natural instinct of their hounds ! That 

 a great deal of cleverness may be shown by a Hunts- 

 man in the field, we all know ; and that at times he 

 may greatly assist hounds is equally clear ; but these 

 aids (to kill a fox fairly) should only be given where 

 from a bad- seen ting day, a known bad-scenting coun- 

 try, or a fox having gone away long before he was 

 hit upon, prevents hounds exercising their gift of 

 nose. A sudden change in the atmosphere, a par- 

 ticularly harsh dry piece of ground, are fair excuses 

 for giving hounds a lift, for they are then on unequal 

 terms with their fox. He can make use of his legs 

 to escape ; they cannot, in such circumstances, make 

 effectual use of their noses to follow him. Here, by 

 making a judicious cast forward, a Huntsman shows his 

 tact, and here we may allow him to exercise his judg- 

 ment as to the point he considers his fox is making 

 for ; and probably he will be right, except, as our late 

 mentioned friend said, " the fox is a fool." Here the 

 sagacity of the Huntsman will probably be greater 

 than that of the hound, a sequitur by no means to be 

 relied on in all cases. The distinctive line between 

 instinct and reason, the most talented have found it 



