20 HARE-HUNTING AND HARRIERS 



course often happened, the hare had been already 

 startled by the deep voices of its pursuers, drawing 

 nearer and nearer, and had already slipped away. The 

 Southern hound was what hunting-men of this day, 

 and indeed of the last century, would consider far too 

 much tied to the scent. Its sense of smell was so keen, 

 its enjoyment of the scent so overpowering, that, 

 instead of pushing along, as do the foxhound and 

 modern harrier, and driving at its game, with the 

 object of killing within some reasonable period — say 

 an hour or two — it would actually sit down upon the 

 line and, lifting up its deep mellow voice, pour forth 

 its satisfaction and enjoyment upon the wintry air. 

 It never had much pace, and with such interruptions — 

 and they were by no means singular — it is not astound- 

 ing to find that the hunt, under such conditions, 

 especially if, as sometimes happened, fresh hares were 

 put up, lasted hour after hour. Three hours in those 

 days must have been reckoned a quick hare-hunt ; 

 more often than not the solemn chase went on until 

 five, six, and occasionally even more had been con- 

 sumed. After having killed their hare, if they had the 

 luck to do so, the jolly sportsmen wended their ways 

 homeward, and wound up the day with a portentous 

 dinner and a carouse thereafter. 



These sport-loving squires, slow though their methods 

 and tedious their style of hunting, if compared with 

 the chase of our own time, were, after all, lineal ances- 

 tors of the present race of fox- and hare-hunters and 

 country gentlemen. If they had what seem to us 

 defects from the modern point of view, they had, 

 nevertheless, a score of excellent qualities. They were 

 hearty, hospitable, jovial, full of the enjoyment of 

 life ; they stayed at home upon their acres and spent 

 their money around them ; they were good landlords, 



