178 HORSES AND HOUNDS, 



on rising the liill, a gentleman of the neighbouring hunt, into 

 whose country we were running, cried out, exultingly, " See 

 how he is beating them up the hill ; you wont see much more 

 of him on the other side." " Wait a bit, my friend/' I ex- 

 claimed ; " you are deceived about the fox beating the hounds. 

 The fact is, whilst we were running down hill, the distance 

 between hounds and fox, being foreshortened, appeared less 

 than it actually was, and now, going up hill, it appears greater; 

 but we shall have him in a few minutes, and that w^e may see 

 from the top of the hill, for we shall not be with them, that is 

 quite clear." We had plenty of time for this short interchange 

 of opinion as we were working our way up the steep hill-side, 

 which was a regular stopper, and our pace was not much out of 

 a walk. Upon gaining the summit of the hill, the hounds and 

 fox were far away in tlie distance, but so close together, that I 

 exclaimed to my doubting companion, "You need not hurry 

 noiv, the business is over." I could see the leading hound make 

 a dash at the fox, which he evaded only to fall into the mouth 

 of another. The only person near the hounds Avhen the fox 

 was pulled down was the second whipper-in, upon* a thorough- 

 bred mare ; the rest — myself included — were not placed ; in 

 short, we were quite out of the race. When we got together, 

 all exclaimed it was the quickest thing ever seen, and were 

 quite delighted at doubling up, in this first-rate style, an old 

 dog fox in our neighbour's country. Being then at least twenty- 

 five miles from the kennels, home was the next order of the day. 

 The first check that occurs is often the most critical. The 

 fox, being fresh, makes the best use of his legs, and if much 

 time is lost, he will (if a good one) beat you. Many huntsmen 

 at such a moment will do hasty things, being themselves in a 

 wondrous hurry, and out of temper, perhaps, at such a sudden 

 contretemps. Coolness at such a moment is, however, the best 

 help out of the difficulty. Let the hounds have their own fling 

 first ; the chances are, if the scent is good, that they have gone 

 over it by the fox being suddenly headed — unless a flock of 

 sheep have come in their way, or a piece of fallows ; but a good 

 pack of hounds, if given a reasonable time and full room, will 

 recover the scent by their own natural instinct much more 

 readily than when taken hold of by an enterprising genius of a 

 huntsman, and hurried half a mile oft, to suit his fancy or 

 caprice. Hounds that are often lifted, do not take half the 

 trouble others will, which are left to themselves, in recovering a 

 lost scent ; at the first check which occurs, their noses will be 

 up in the air, instead of where they ought to be— on. the 

 ground. 



