360 WITH HOUNDS. 



meet and home, is six miles an hour. As a rule, the slower 

 a huntsman is in chase, the faster he goes from covert to 

 covert. Hunters without hounds usually travel at a steady 

 pace of about seven miles an hour. 



Many men like to drive to a meet, instead of riding, so 

 that they may arrive at it without even a speck of dust on 

 their clothes, for the furtherance of which object they will 

 generally wear a large handkerchief or piece of silk or cotton 

 cloth, as an apron over their legs while they are in the trap, 

 in order to prevent any of the pipeclay or dressing of the 

 breeches from soiling the coat. No amount of " clean dirt '' 

 which has been acquired with hounds will count. 



Although the custom may be old-fashioned, a stranger 

 commits no solecism in taking off his hat to the Master, as a 

 respectful salutation to the Commanding Officer of the field 

 day. 



Masters have so much to try their tempers, and need such 

 implicit obedience in order to carry out their work properly, 

 that the etiquette of the hunting field ordains that any 

 member to whom the Master may address strong " language " 

 must receive it without reply. If he wishes to show that he 

 resents the rebuke or abuse, as the case may be, he may go 

 home and not come out again with that particular pack, by 

 doing which he might commit the folly of metaphorically 

 cutting off his nose to spite his face, especially if he had paid 

 his subscription. The knowledge that his censure must be 

 received in silence, ought to make a Master trebly careful not 

 to unnecessarily wound the feelings of those under his com- 

 mand. His position is more autocratic than that of a colonel 

 at the head of a regiment ; for a Master is practically at the 

 top end of the chain of hunting responsibility, and in hardly 

 any case would brook a reproof from his committee, even 

 supposing the pack was a subscription one. If a member of 

 the field will not obey the Master, the rebel or the hounds 



