14 HUNTING THE FOX 



it is well to reinforce such knowledge by watching 

 the man at his work. If a week or more can be 

 spent in this way, so much the better. One day 

 is a great deal better than nothing, but it requires 

 a judge of very ripe experience to form an opinion 

 in one day, and even then it is very easy to make 

 a mistake. Something may be gathered from 

 voice, manner, horsemanship, and the look of the 

 Hounds. But the day may be one of those good 

 scenting days when all Huntsmen are dubbed the 

 finest Huntsmen in Europe, or it may be one of 

 those terrible days a succession of which would 

 ruin the reputation of the very elect. The cardinal 

 tests of the ability of a Huntsman in the field are 

 his capacity to mark and to bear in mind the exact 

 spot where the leading Hounds lose the scent, 

 and his power to keep his Hounds together well 

 in front of his horse, with their noses to the ground, 

 without too much help from his whipper-in. If a 

 Huntsman is perpetually in front of the Hounds, 

 drifting about with no apparent reference to the 

 place where they threw up, or if he is constantly 

 sending one of his whippers-in to collect small 

 parties of Hounds, you may be sure there is some- 

 thing wrong. 



An attempt will be made in another chapter to 

 deal more fully with these points. We are now on 

 our visit of inspection, and unless the scent is 

 first-rate, a rough and ready judgement might 



