A5D HOr^TDi 123 



wonld give them a rattling cast forward when the aeent £dle«], 

 or, pretending he heard a halloo, go full tilt to the next cor&t^ 

 two or three miles oft 

 We cannot put old heads on Yoang f^MxMers; and yoong 



htrntsmen the first seas-^n -will often commit aU kinds ci Um^ 

 ders. Their situation is a novel one. and, natmaDy «ioiig}i, 

 thev try to exhibit their genius. This desire to diatingnifth 

 themselves will generally ojoI down, or it ought to do so, after 

 the novelty has worn o:£ It is very landable to end£a:voiir to 

 gain the good opinion of their master and the gentlemen of the 

 conntry l^y the display of every talent they may po^ess ; but 

 this may h-e carried too far. A conceited huntsman is a mon- 

 strons nnisance. An observant man will soon find out tJbat a 

 good pack of honnis know their business better than he can 

 teach them, and will allow the honnds to display thdr graiiiis 

 before he displays kU. It has been asserted by high antfaGsity 

 that a piack of honnds, if left to themselves, wonld seldom kfll 

 a fox. My opinion is. that a really good pack of hounds would 

 seldom miss one. Everything depends npon the system pwr- 

 sned, and the education of the pack. Hie present systrai of 

 lifting hounds to halloos and over fellows, naturally disposes 

 them to be iudiffCTent about a bad scent Expecting assistance 

 either firom a halloo or a cast forward, they will give th^Dselres 

 little tDjnble in working out the line of scent over bad groand ; 

 and I Lave seen them looking up at their huntsman, as nradi as 

 to say, " There, we have done enough : now yon must help ns." 

 Let these honnds change masters, and receive no assistance^ 

 they wonld soon put their n«D6es down. and. although at first 

 make but a poor fight with a flying fox. they wonld soon work 

 thrc»uo^ difficulties, and learn to depend nj^K^n their own exer- 

 tions. Well bre*! hounds will always get fDrward with the 

 scent, and make the most of it when it is foiling. A little assist- 

 ance wiU go a long way. but it never should be given until 

 absolutely required, which is very seldom. 



It does not necessarily follow that a first-rate whipper-in will 

 make a first-rate huntsman — very often the reverse. A really 

 good whipper-in sometimes makes a wretched huntsman, Hieir 

 duties are widely diSerent, and their genius or talents are to be 

 employed in a very different direction, I knew a capital 

 whipper-in who refused to accept a huntsman's situation, and 

 his reason was not a bad one, " I have been now," he said, 

 ** many years in my present place as first whipper-in, and am 

 proud to say have given satisfaction to my master and the gen- 

 tlemen, and kn-jw my business tolerably well : but if I t«x>k a 

 himtsman's place, and failed, which is very likely. I should not 



