SYSTEMS OF HUNTING 101 



that his hounds should be well broken and handy, 

 and that he should have given his foxes a liberal 

 education during the cub-hunting season. Secondly, 

 in the interest of his hounds, he should endeavour 

 to handle at least one fox per diem ; for if sport 

 is desired hounds must be kept in blood. What 

 then is the best way in which to arrive at these 

 very desirable conclusions ? 



It is above all things necessary that hounds 

 should be handy ; they must turn to their hunts- 

 man ; their attention must be directed to him, and 

 to him alone, when they are not on the line of a 

 fox, and it may be admitted that if hounds know 

 what their huntsman wants them to do, and do it, 

 the first great point is gained. This is the great 

 argument of those who hold with what they term 

 the cheery system. " Look at Tom Blowhard's 

 hounds," say they. " Why, when Tom holloas and 

 blows his horn, they're all round him in a crack, 

 and no hounds could run better than they last week. 

 Forty minutes over grass is good enough for us," 

 they add with the virtuous air of men who know 

 they have done their duty in a quick thing ; and 

 if you should quietly hint that all could have been 

 done just as well with less holloaing and horn- 

 blowing, they will look sceptical. 



Personally I must own myself an adherent of the 

 silent system, and the longer I hunt the more con- 

 vinced I am that noise loses more foxes than it 

 kills. To begin with, the foxhound is highly bred 

 and naturally excitable ; he is in the best of con- 

 dition, and under these circumstances he must do 

 something. If his excitability is kept under control 

 by a quiet man he is the most teachable of animals. 

 But a noisy huntsman encourages the excitability 



