THE WHIPPER-IN 65 



Some hounds are desperately headstrong, and know the 

 advantage of having a high wall, coped with mortar and dashed 

 with broken bottles, between them and the man that is rating 

 them. For them, Beckford says, " My general orders to my 

 Whippers-in are, if, when he rate a hound, the hound does not 

 mind him, to take him up immediately and give him a severe 

 flogging. Whippers-in are too apt to continue rating, even 

 when they find that rating will not avail. There is but one 

 way to stop such hounds, which is to get to the heads of them. 

 I also tell him never on any account to strike a hound, unless 

 the hound be at the same time sensible what it is for. What 

 think you of the Whipper-in," asks he, " who struck the 

 hound as he was going to cover, because he was likely to be 

 noisy afterwards, saying, " You will he noisy enough by and by, 

 I warratit you " ? 



When discussing the " Huntsman " we related a misfortune 

 attending a scratch pack Huntsman, or more properly " horn- 

 blower," with a furze bush and a flock of sheep, and in looking 

 into Mr. Vyner's book we find a similar case recorded of young 

 hounds at home : — 



" I once knew an instance," says he, " of a lot of wild young 

 hounds being moved into a field adjoining the kennel where 

 they were kept, and where a long-tailed black pony was grazing, 

 attended by the feeder alone ; from wantonness one of the 

 hounds bayed at the pony, which induced another to do the 

 same, and the pony to declare his approbation or disapproba- 

 tion by repeated snorting and caprioles ; the main body con- 

 cluded it was a signal for a rush, when away went the little 

 horse over a fence into the adjoining lane, and away went the 

 hounds full cry, to the dismay of the feeder and the rest of the 

 establishment, who were so suddenly summoned by the music 

 of the pack ; however, to conclude my story, they were not 

 stopped until they ran the pony five miles, but without any 

 further damage to any of the party excepting sowing the seeds 



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