CHAPTER 11. 



THREE=FOLD DUTIES. 



Mention has been made of the three-fold duties 

 which] the boy or girl novice must bear in mind, 

 and duty towards the farmers over whose land he or she 

 hunts was taken first. Assuming, then, that the 

 youngster — and for the moment I leave out the girls, who 

 thus early in a hunting career are always in charge of a 

 friend or groom — knows something of the various crops 

 and is fully aware that he must not ride over seeds, 

 growing corn, beans, or turnips (even if he sees others 

 doing so), he must also be particular that he does no 

 damage when finding his way across country. Should 

 his pony not be fast enough to keep up with the rest of 

 the field, he would do better if he made for the nearest 

 field road or lane than if he- attempted to follow the line 

 of the hunt. But this vfill only occur occasionally, for 

 hounds do not go at top speed every day, and for the 

 ordinary average run in the ordinary average country 

 good ponies are quite fast enough. If the boy novice 

 happens to get into a real quick thing, and cannot go 

 the pace, he should lool: out for the second horsemen, 

 and, if possible, join them. It is little Use plodding 

 on half a mile or so in the wake of hounds when 



