THEEE-FOLD DUTIES. 11 



day — which every boy and girl will quickly find out — 

 M'hen silence is absolutely imperative. There is plenty 

 of time for talking when hounds are at the meet, or are 

 going from covert to covert, and the " babbler " in the 

 hunting field is the most unmitigated bore. If you are 

 beginning to grasp what may be termed the business of 

 hunting, and have any information about foxes or 

 gamekeepers that the Master ought to know, tell him 

 quietly when an opportunity presents itself ; but do 

 no force your knowledge on him if you see that he is 

 indifferent, and on no account tell him anything unless 

 you know it to be absolutely true. In every hunt there 

 are often idle tales in the air as to foxes having been seen 

 in unlikely places, and so on ; and with these you need 

 not concern yourself, the Master being just as likely to 

 have heard them as you. As regards the huntsman 

 and whippers-in, a policy of strict non-intervention 

 should be observed. Never talk to the hunt servants 

 while they are on duty. Their minds are fully occupied 

 from the time they leave kennels until they return 

 at night, and the less they are interrupted the more 

 likely they are to do their duty properly. When the 

 huntsman is casting hounds stand quite still, and do not 

 speak or move until you see the rest of the field moving. 

 Never single yourself out from the crowd at checks, 

 and never attempt to follow the huntsman in his cast. 

 Never go into covert after hounds on your own account, 

 but only when you see the rest of the field going on, for 

 in that case it will be customary with that particular 

 covert. Never when hounds are drawing move away 

 from the crowd, even if you see an odd man or so going 

 off somewhere. The man in question may be the covert 



