470 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



wiles, often amusing and exciting enough to study even should 

 no shot be obtained. Beaters also make roes frisky and un- 

 certain in taking the passes. You never can guess exactly 

 where they may break cover. When pursued by a hound, 

 they are much steadier in pace, and far truer to the usual 

 ground. I have constantly noted that the chances, if fewer 

 in number, are/ar surer when the roe is hunted by dogs than 

 when driven by beaters, although more skill is required to 

 secure them. There is often a great prejudice against the 

 voice of a fox-hound ; and I have known men unobservant 

 enough to fancy hares and all other game flying right and left 

 at the sound. Yet it is nevertheless true, that a really good 

 hound will scarcely disturb any quarry but what he is first 

 laid on. An indifferent animal, with an inferior nose, may 

 shift from the old track to a fresher often enough, but such 

 should never be slipped in the coverts at all. A really 

 useful fox-hound for roe or deer should stick to its first scent 

 for hours. By watching narrowly, you will perceive it is 

 not disturbing other game, and that the creatures it is not 

 pursuing will show little alarm, often allowing the hunt to 

 pass pretty near without moving from their ground. 



At different periods of my sporting life I had two hounds 

 so true and painstaking that, if their game was not killed, 

 they rarely lost the first track till the close of the short 

 winter day. When the moon was up they have sometimes 

 run the scent far into the night. One of them, after sticking 

 to its track from twelve o'clock noon, and all through the 

 following night, drove the roe into the loch next morning. 

 The hound boldly took the water about forty yards behind 

 the roe. 



A few years ago, another stanch hound of mine fairly ran 

 down an old fox. At breakfast-time one winter morning, the 

 sly one, evidently on the look-out for poultry, was winded by 

 grim Damper, who instantly broke away from the other dogs 

 before the kennel. The game-watcher, fancying the hunt was 



