168 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



of it, at starting, is startling, yet few succeed better, 

 namely, that of first holding the hounds the way 

 he does not think the fox is gone. Thus, when at 

 a check and the pack have made their own swing, 

 he then holds them round to the right or left, 

 whichever is most up wind, consequently this side 

 would have been the most unlikely, for they probably 

 would not have checked at first had it been right, 

 owing to its being rather up wind ; when, if it 

 does happen to be right, they hit it off directly, so 

 that it takes scarcely a minute to hold them round 

 back, behind the spot where they checked, about 

 a hundred yards or so. He then turns and takes 

 a httle wider circle back, round in front all the 

 way, to the left the same distance, till he reaches 

 or nearly so, the line he came to behind the check 

 at first. Now having ascertained for certain that 

 his fox is not gone back, or short to the right or 

 left, he can with confidence begin a wider cast 

 than he would have ventured to make otherwise, 

 owing to a fear that the fox had headed back, or 

 to the right or left. The wide cast he commences 

 on the left from behind, progressing according to 

 his judgment, and selecting the best seen ting-ground 

 forward beyond any fallow or bad scenting-ground. 

 As he now knows that the fox must be gone on. 



