HORSES AN-D HOUXDS. 127 



looing and driving for the last month ; yet I mean to give you 

 a run by and bye, if you have patience, but I will have no more 

 hallooing. My hounds are running one fox, which I intend to 

 stick to, and you are hallooing another." I returned to my 

 business with the old fox, which I had seen several times before 

 the hounds, and by riding with them through the wood, high 

 and low, I kept them at him, and we had it soon all to ourselves, 

 without another fox remaining. The scent improved, and find- 

 ing his quarters too hot to hold him, the old fox at last broke 

 away over a fine grass vale, and we ran into him in the open. 

 My noisy friend directly came up, and said he was sorry he had 

 ofl:ended me by hallooing, and thanked me at the same time for 

 the run we had given him. " Now," I said, " I will show you 

 the fox you wished me to follow in the morning ; he is only 

 gone across a couple of fields into another large wood, where I 

 think we shall get upon him again, and you will then see whether 

 you or I know most about spoiling sport." We accordingly 

 went to this covert, and soon got upon him, but, having had a 

 tolerable dusting in the morning, he showed no disposition to 

 try his old quarters again, even across tw^o fields, and we soon 

 disposed of him. Congratulations now poured in, and we went 

 on satisfactorily after this day. Jem quietly settled down to his 

 work as usual ; in fact, I think he was not sorry to do so, his 

 debid as huntsman not having quite satisfied either himself or 

 friends. 



After a few years more he obtained a first-rate place as hunts- 

 man, which he wished, however, to decline, and would have 

 done so, but for my pressing and almost forcing him to accept 

 it. The month's probation he had had with me was not lost 

 time, for he had good sense enough to see the errors he had 

 committed by over haste and excitement, and he is now hunts- 

 man in a large establishment, where, I think, he cannot fail to 

 give satisfaction. There are, however, many first-rate whippers- 

 in who know they are not likely to make huntsmen, and they 

 show their sense by sticking to their own line of business. I 

 have known many establishments where huntsman and head 

 whip were both growing greyheaded together. 



As I have before remarked, weight and height ought not to 

 be of so much consideration. Character and talent are the first 

 requisites. Unless a lad has naturally good abilities and a de- 

 cided taste for that line of life, he will never, with all the 

 instruction he may receive, turn out anything extraordinary. 

 He must also have decision of character and command of tem- 

 per, with sober and industrious habits. In my time, I have had 

 several pupils in this line, but only two ever turned out to my 



