THE A\^H1PPER-IN 83 



and the blow first ; but nothing annoys me more than to see a 

 cut made at a hound in the midst of others guiltless of the 

 cause. It is ten to one but the lash, intended for Vagabond 

 or Guilty, will descend upon Manager or Blameless, and render 

 others shy to no purpose. The difficulty consists in con- 

 triving to awe the resolute without breaking the spirit of the 

 timid." 



" Whippers-in, like Huntsmen," writes Mr. Delme Radcliffe, 

 " must feel a pride in their places, an interest in the credit 

 and reputation of the pack, and thoroughly enjoy the sport, 

 although their labour is not light, but, on the contrar}-, very 

 arduous, and often harassing and vexatious. Without being 

 able to ride, a man will, probably, not be placed in such a 

 situation ; but they should be more than mere riders, thej' 

 should be active and good horsemen, capable of distinguishing 

 between the use and abuse of the horse intrusted to them." 



Some gentlemen assist in turning hounds, some let them 

 alone, lest they may be doing wrong, and get a " blessing " 

 for their trouble ; while others console themselves with thinking 

 that it is no business of theirs, and just let them have their 

 fling until a Whipper-in arrives. Of course we would not 

 insult modern sportsmen by supposing that any of them would 

 be acquainted with the name of a hound so as to check him by 

 it as well as by the whip, but in the absence of a Whipper-in 

 there cannot be any harm in one of the field circumventing a 

 delinquent, and turning him back into cover. Young hands 

 ride after hounds instead of riding round them, and the effort 

 is sometimes productive of a fine trial of speed, generally 

 terminating, however, by the intrusion of a fence, through 

 which the hound skulks. 



When a Whipper-in is by, however, it is best to let him do 

 the work, because he can very likely effect it by a rate ; at all 

 events gentlemen should trust more to their actions than their 

 voices, because the latter are strange to the hounds, but it must 



