144 NOTITIA VENATICA. 



for several seconds just on the very place he should not have done. 

 When any horseman lias viewed a fox over a riding, and it is necessary 

 to halloo, he should invariahly place his horse's head across the riding 

 in the direction Avhich the fox went, as a signal to the huntsman when 

 bringing up his hounds, by which he may know exactly which way to 

 hold them. It frequently happens that a beaten fox may bring you into 

 a cover, Avhcre, after running a short time and constantly expecting his 

 death, you may unavoidably change for a fresh fox. The only thing to 

 be done is to trust to the old line hunting hounds, as the least likely to 

 have changed, as far as the powers of the hounds go ; but clever whip- 

 pers-in can do much towards killing the fox, even if a brace or two of 

 fresh ones are on foot : and then, it must be observed, is the time to see 

 the vast diiference between the modern, flashy riding whipper-in, and the 

 old wide-awake sportsman, such as Zach Goddard, Bob or Harry Old- 

 aker. Will Todd, Tom Smith with Lord Middleton, Will Iledden, Dick 

 Adamson, Jem Shirley, Ben Foote, and Jack Wood, when he whipped- 

 in to Charles King. Such men as these Avould " lie forward,', as they 

 call it ; and well knowing a hunted fox half a mile off from fifty fresh 

 ones, would, if necessary, put the liounds off the line of a fresh one by 

 going into the cover and rating them at their head ; then turning them 

 round, and catching hold of them, halloo them on to their hunted fox. 

 All tiiis would be done in half the time I could write it ; and in the mean 

 time the huntsman and other Avhips, if they worked as they ought to do 

 — by signals, and Avithout jealousy — would get forward or lie back, as 

 the case might be, and anticipate the same thing again, till they had 

 got through their difticultles, and perhaps got the fox away again in the 

 open, or killed him. And here it should be understood, that when 

 hounds are at work as I have just dcsci'ibed them, if the huntsman hears 

 one of his Avliips halloo and blow his horn at a distance, and can depend 

 on him as a i-eal good hand, he should stop his hounds himself from what 

 is certain to be a fresh fox, and get forward to Jack as fast as he can, 

 who has viewed the hunted fox. Now, to work in this way, men must 

 not only be experienced hands, but Avell known to each other, and 

 accustomed to Avork by signals and without jealousy : why shoidd a 

 huntsman, or even master of hounds, be above acknowledging the assist- 

 ance of his servant ? How was it that Mr. Osbaldeston shoAved more 

 sport during the eight seasons he Avas in Northamptonshire than all the 

 rest of the masters of hounds in Great Britain put together ? Because 

 in chase he Avas most indefatigable, and not above stopping liounds him- 

 self Avhen Avrong, or Avluitping to his men Avhcn they Avcre forward on the 

 line of their fox. 



When a check should occur, in running over the open country, I be- 

 lieve a good huntsman, and a minute observer, Avill tAvicc out of three 

 times discover the object in the line of hounds that caused it, and as 

 soon as he suspects, pull up his horse. For instance, a church, a village, 

 a farm-house, team at plough, men at Avork, sheep, and above all, cattle, 

 are the things most likely to impede the scent (be it remembered, that 

 the breath of one coav Avill distract liounds more than a hundred shecji) : 

 Avlien any of these objects present themselves in the face of hounds, you 



