THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



properly, for they have sent do^m to ascertain it. 

 Ascertain what ? that the earths were stopped 

 before it was hght. What matters that? How 

 long before light does a fox go to ground at this 

 time, when it is not hght much before eight o'clock, 

 this being three hours later than at other parts of 

 the season, and they are consequently more often 

 stopped after the fox has gone in than before ; — and 

 a very little ingenuity ^^^ll extort this fact from an 

 earth-stopper, that he has often found his stopping 

 removed by a fox scratching out when he has gone 

 to take it out himself next morning, which accounts 

 for many blank days. This ha^dng been the ^mter's 

 decided opinion from observation, ever since he has 

 been a fox-hunter (and few men began more early 

 in life), that immediately on his undertaking the 

 management of a pack of fox-hounds, he commenced 

 the folloAnng plan, to which he attributes the fact of 

 his not ha^-ing had more, upon an average, than 

 three blank days in any four years that he kept 

 hounds, although in the same countries from 

 ten to twenty had been encountered previously in 

 one year. 



His plan was, in the beginning of October the 

 head whipper-in went round to every earth-stopper, 

 taking -svdth him each day some matches, prepared 



