CUB-HUNTING 65 



he will know his work pretty well by the time the 

 regular season opens. 



It must again be impressed upon the reader 

 that hounds do not go cub-hunting for the sake of 

 a gallop, though a gallop comes occasionally, and 

 I shall never forget a brilliant twenty-five minutes 

 with an old fox one bright September morning. 

 It was on the moors, and when that old dog fox 

 jumped up in front of hounds there was such a 

 screaming scent that it was impossible to stop them, 

 and very few of us were there when the old dog 

 fox was rolled over. But gallops like this are rare 

 in the earlier days of the cub-hunting season, and 

 men who are on the look-out for gallops such as 

 this are naturally regarded with scant favour by 

 huntsmen, who heartily wish them at home or 

 anywhere else save cub-hunting whilst the earlier 

 education of the young hounds is going on. 



The object of cub-hunting is to teach the young 

 hounds to know what a fox is, to teach them to 

 run together, and to rely on each other and on 

 their huntsman. Such being the case, it stands to 

 reason that quietness is imperative on all who go 

 out on these early cub-hunting mornings. There 

 must be no wild galloping to and fro, no noisy 

 holloaing to attract the attention of hounds. As 

 the huntsman is exceptionally quiet himself on 

 these early mornings, so he has a right to expect 

 that all who go out will restrain their ardour, and 

 will assist him when asked to do so. Frequently 

 will they be asked to " hold up " the cubs, and in 

 doing that they will have plenty of opportunity in 

 exercising their vigilance, and they may have a 

 sharp gallop or two as well, as a resolute cub takes 

 some turning. A man who is deputed to this task 



F 



