FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF HUNTING 31 



he is sure to bring down the wrath of the Master on his 

 devoted head. I have known many instances in which 

 ignorant interference has caused hounds to change 

 foxes when they were almost on the brush of the 

 hunted fox. Now, the probabiHty is that the fresh 

 fox will beat hounds, so that the hounds are thus 

 deprived of the blood to which they are fairly en- 

 titled. Of course it is a sore temptation to a novice to 

 shout "Tally-ho !" when he happens to view a fox, but it 

 would be wiser for him to restrain his voice until he 

 has ascertained whether the fox which he has viewed 

 is the hunted fox or a fresh one. " Do you not 

 meddle." 



There is another class of men who do not interfere 

 with the real business of the day in the hunting-field, 

 but who indirectly do much harm to hunting. For want 

 of a better term, I will call them the " curmudgeons " 

 of the hunting-field. Now " curmudgeon " in old 

 English was spelt " cornmudgin," and meant a corn 

 merchant, who kept up the price of corn by his 

 avarice. The modern hunting curmudgeon professes 

 to be the friend of the farmers, and would like to be 

 the amicus cxirice in all disputes which may arise in 

 even the best-regulated Hunts between the tenant- 

 farmers and the hunting-men. As a matter of fact, 

 he is merely a professional agitator, though, beyond 

 satisfying an innate love of mischief, I have never been 

 able to understand what substantial gain he earns from 

 his profession. He subscribes to hounds and potters 

 about after hounds. Thus, ostensibly, he is a friend of 

 the sport. The small farmers regard him with unmixed 



