14 PRACTICAL HINTS FOR HUNTING NOVICES. 



by ignorance alone, and cannot apparently be taught 

 the etiquette of hunting. If they are soundly rated 

 one day, they repeat the offence on the next, and, 

 indeed, they seem to be incapable of understanding 

 what is and what is not correct. Luckily, there are not 

 many so dense, but I have known of some cases which 

 went on so long that they became standing jokes in 

 their ovrn locality, and, moreover, no amount of chaff 

 had any effect. One of these offenders was a girl 

 who came out in charge of a groom, but neither she 

 nor her servant seemed to have the least idea of Avhat 

 to do or where to go. They would block the open 

 gateway into a covert when the huntsman wanted to 

 go through with his hounds ; they would follow the said 

 huntsman round a hundred-acre field when he was 

 casting ; and, if the top stones of a wall were knocked 

 off to allow the huntsman egress from the field, the 

 girl would rush at the gap almost before it was made, 

 her servant would follow, and, meantime, the huntsman 

 — who had dismounted to pull the wall down — would be 

 swallowed up in the crowd, all hustling for the gap, 

 and many of them quite unaware of what had really 

 occurred. 



When remonstrated with, this girl used to laugh, 

 and ask why such a fuss was being made about nothing ; 

 and a few minutes later hounds would run through a 

 covert, and the field would follow along a ride. Then 

 our friend w^as in her glory ; she would be first if possible, 

 and, if there were a dozen in front of her, she would 

 shove past them all, squeezing them into the ditch 

 or into the trees, and not caring in the least as long 

 as she got to the front. As for pulling up to go slowly 



