-71- 



long hunting life, have I listened to this sort of thing: 

 'New, what on earth is our idiot of a huntsman doing? 



Anyone could tell his fox - By Jove, they've hit it! 



Gome on ! " 



Of course, if they don't hit it, the lecture on 

 hunting goes on, and if by any chance the critic's idea 

 happens to be right (and he can't be wrong every time), 

 he is so pleased with himself as to be a positive 

 nuisance for the rest of the day. hen they do hit it, 

 as likely as not he dashes off and, unless checked, 

 presses hounds before they have again reall?r settled 

 on the line. 



At a check you usually see people coming up, 

 determined not to pull up until they are .lust a little 

 bit in front of where the leaders have stopped; this 

 is most unsporting. Say that three or four men, who 

 have really been with hounds, pull up, they are not 

 in the least likely to have given hounds too much room, 

 so why cannot their followers accept the situation and 

 stay a little behind them? That was the position 

 when hounds were running, and there is nothing very 

 clever or daring in taking the lead at a check. 



Let your rule be to pull up in good time when 

 leading, to pull up hehind the leaders when you are 

 not, and in either case to keep your mouth shut. A 

 lot of people talking does not help hounds or huntsman. 



Ladies are great offenders, not entirely from 

 their own fault. If they are properly "entered" - 

 that is to say, if they have a relative or friend who 

 knows all about the sport of fox-hunting, and studies 

 how to avoid doing damage to crops, and who will pass 

 on his knowledge to them, then all is well. I have 

 noticed that women so educated are quite as thoughtful 

 for hounds, hunt servants, and farmers' interests as 

 any man, if not more so. 



But such women are rather the exception. If an 

 ignorant lad comes out, he will soon get well sworn at 

 if he does stupid things; but most men are very loath 

 to find fault with women in the hunting field. There- 

 fore the woman who is not well "entered" has much less 

 chance of learning how to behave from being cursed at 

 large than a man has. 



