HORSES AlsD HOUNDS. 



CHAPTEK XIII. 



Huntsmen, -wliippers-in, and feeders — The distemper, its prevention better than 

 its cure — Means thereof — Exercise and air the best means of prevention — ■ 

 Story of a donkey. 



If you intend hunting your hounds yourself, you will require 

 a clever and steady man, who has filled the situation of first 

 whipper-in or huntsman, whose character will bear investigation 

 as to sobriety and respectability ; a good temper is also indis- 

 pensable. As the breaking-in of the young hounds will pro- 

 bably devolve upon him, take care he is a quiet and patient 

 man with hounds, and you will see such conduct exercise a 

 decided influence over the pack. The best hounds may be 

 spoiled in much less time than many imagine, by a liurry-skurry 

 fellow, and a wild pack soon brought to their senses by a quiet 

 and sensible man. Hounds possess much more discrimination 

 than they are given credit for, and soon assimilate themselves 

 to their master. If he be steady, they will be steady also ; if 

 wild, they will be wild too, and ready for riot and mischief. 



You must look out also for a whipper-in. Choose one from a 

 good stock, and who has been bred up in a hunting establish- 

 ment. Such are to be found — sons of respectable huntsmen, 

 who may possibly not have had the opportunity of advancing 

 them very far in their own line of business, from no vacancy 

 occurring in their master's establishment. There _ is, I think, 

 great and undue importance attached to light weights in the 

 present day. I confess it has no weight with me, and never 

 had. Anything in the shape of a whipper-in under eleven 

 stone, I should not object to, if he were active and a good rider. 

 I do not mean by this a hard rider. I have had both light and 

 hea\y men, and found the latter did not take more out of their 

 horses, and were altogether better riders over a stiffly enclosed 

 country. The best whipper-in I ever had stood nearly six feet; 

 but he was a very wiry and elastic fellow ; no useless lumber 

 about him, but all bone and muscle. He lived with _me many 

 years, was an excellent servant, rode well up to his hounds 

 across country, and never killed or injured a horse the whole 

 time he was in my service, which he only left to take a hunts- 

 man's place. The man who succeeded him was a light weight, 

 and in my own opinion a very bad rider, although always up 

 with the hounds. He played the rogue with his horses, and 

 killed one of the best of them before the season was over. 



The feeder should be a young active man, not afraid of work, 



