30 HUNTING THE FOX 



no Cub is killed in the covert, after an hour or two 

 of work every stick in the place will smell of Fox- 

 hound for weeks afterwards, and a grave risk is 

 incurred of not finding there again until after 

 Christmas, or perhaps until the next season. 



The M.F.H. should never try to elude the foot- 

 people by trotting away from the Meet to draw a 

 distant covert. The County Pack and the sport 

 it can show in each locality is in a certain sense the 

 traditional property of the natives, whether they 

 are mounted or on foot ; they are proud of their 

 inheritance ; and if the foot-folk do holloa out of 

 place, or head a Fox or two once or twice in the 

 season, the harm they may do in this way to sport 

 is a small matter compared with the legitimate 

 disappointment caused to many people who are 

 real friends to Fox-hunting, although only mounted 

 on " Shanks' mare," by not having a chance of 

 seeing a Fox found in the local covert. 



