HORSES AND HOUNDS. 213 



understood or appreciated. Of all dogs they are tlie liighest in 

 courage and generosity, and capable of great attachment. 

 Huntsmen, generally, use them as a body without any indi- 

 vidual characteristics, and as long as they answer to their 

 names in the kennel, and do their work in the field, give little 

 more attention to them. T used to study their characters, and 

 make them attached to me as spaniels, by kindness and good 

 humour. Sometimes they accompanied me in the summer, 

 Avithout any whipper-in, and did just as they liked. They would 

 run on before me some distance, but always looked back to see 

 if I was coming, and when we arrived at any cross roads they 

 waited until I came up, to see which road I meant to take ; 

 then, jumping round my horse, set off again at half speed, 

 romping and } 'laying in high good humour. 



I have travelled for miles with them without any whipper-in, 

 but no hound would ever linger behind or leave me. In the 

 hunting season, also, I frequently returned home in dark nights, 

 with only one whipper-in behind me, and we were always once 

 a week nearly twenty miles from home when we left off hunting, 

 seldom reaching the kennel before nine o'clock. Some nights I 

 could scarcely see my horse's head before me, much less the 

 hounds, but they never would go far from me, until I approached 

 the last field near the kennel, when the horn sounding my 

 approach, they scampered on to the kennel door, and there 

 waited until I dismounted. Huntsmen and whippers-in are all 

 too fond of discipline or the lash, for that they look upon as the 

 only means of enforcing obedience. No opinion can be more 

 erroneous ; kind treatment would save themselves much unne- 

 cessary trouble, and their hounds often barbarous usage. 

 Nothing made me more angry than to see a whipper-in strike a 

 hound unnecessarily in the field. With both horses and dogs 

 I have invariably found that kind words will have a more 

 powerful effect than hard blows. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



Ecckford ; tis theory and practice — Hounds slioidd not be struck unless in 

 the act of committing a fault — Seventy censured, even in the education 

 of boys — Leading and driving — Shying the residt of harsh treatment — 

 Difficulties in hunting a new coiuitry — Knowledge of his business neces- 

 sary to every master of fox-hounds — Hunting estabhshments — Expenses 

 of fees and extras — On purchasing horses — Best food for dogs generally. 



Although Beckford has been and still is considered the first 

 authority in hunting matters, yet I cannot subscribe to his doc- 



