154 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



hearing when he does come up at a check, he is at 

 a loss how to act, and had better stand perfectly 

 quiet, and let the old hounds do it, or it is probable 

 he will do miscliief by holding them either way ; 

 besides, it does hounds so much harm not letting 

 them get out of difficulties themselves — in cover 

 particularly. But had he been up at the check, or 

 near enough to have heard w^hich way the leading 

 hound was bearing, he might have profited by it, 

 if they did not hit it off quickly. Here it is where 

 foxes beat hounds, principally owing to a hunts- 

 man not exerting himself to the very utmost ; but, 

 fancying that the hounds will be sure to kill him, 

 they fooUshly think it of no consequence, and take 

 it too quietly. 



More foxes are lost when dead beaten than at 

 any other time ; and here show their superior 

 cunning, by the wonderful tricks they play the 

 hounds. For instance, when the pack is close at him 

 in cover, and he goes through the outside fence of 

 the cover only, instead of going into the field, he 

 drops down into the ditch, and every hound goes 

 over him. The pack then make a swing outside, 

 during which he crawls up the bank back again 

 into cover, and gets probably to the other side 

 before they cast back ; by which time the scent. 



