468 HUNTING. 



nient opportunity be seized upon. Keep near to 

 them in chase, with your eye on the body of the 

 pack, as well as on such hounds as may be leading ; 

 the body are more certain to be right. Next to 

 knowing where a fox is gone, is knowing where he 

 is not gone ; therefore, in your cast, always make 

 good the head. This you will do for your satis- 

 faction ; but hounds are seldom at fault for the 

 scent a-head, when the chase has been at all warm, 

 that is, on a fair scenting day ; for if the fox be 

 gone forward, wherefore the fault \ Good hounds 

 will seldom or never leave a scent a-head, unless the 

 ground be stained by sheep or cattle, or when the 

 chase leads over dry ploughed land, hard and dry 

 roads, &;c. It is high odds that your fox has 

 turned to the right or to the left ; but although his 

 point may be back, he cannot well run his foil, from 

 the number of horsemen that are generally in the rear 

 of fox-hounds.. Recollect your first check is gene- 

 rally the most fatal to sport, and for these reasons : 

 — Your hounds are fresh, and perchance a little 

 eager ; they may have overrun the scent for some 

 distance, owing to their being pressed by the 

 horses, which are also at this time fresh ; nor will 

 they always get their heads down so soon as they 

 should do, from the same exciting causes. Again, 

 your check now generally arises from a short turn, 

 the fox having been previously driven from his 

 point, which he now resolves to make ; and he will 

 make it at all hazard at certain times. When 

 your hounds first " throw up," {i. e. check,) leave 

 1 them alone if they can hunt ; but, disregarding 



