298 THE SPORT OF KINGS 



Some extra big fences gave hounds a chance of 

 settling on to the line, for men had to go round, but 

 the moment they got to them again they rode them 

 off the line. On one occasion at a check, a young 

 gentleman put his horse at some timber, which he 

 jumped after the second attempt, actually jumping 

 into the field into which the huntsman was casting 

 his hounds in front of him. Every time the 

 huntsman had to cast his hounds, and it may 

 readily be imagined that checks occurred more and 

 more frequently, this conduct was repeated, till 

 after an hour and a half's hunting the fox was 

 lost. 



Now mark what those gentlemen who caused 

 all the mischief had to say. " It was doosed 

 slow ! " " The huntsman was not quick enough ! " 

 " Hounds had no perseverance ! " Hounds, be 

 it understood, being only mentioned by these 

 gentlemen to blame them, and speeches of similar 

 import. Yet, if it had not been for the unsports- 

 manlike way in which they had unduly pressed 

 hounds, the moderate sport might have changed 

 into a good hunting run — perhaps into something 

 brilliant. To begin with, the mad scramble for a 

 start lost two or three minutes of valuable time ; a 

 good fox is a travelling animal, and he would put a 

 lot of distance between himself and his pursuers in 

 that time. At every check, too, time was lost by 

 the over-eagerness of a portion of the field. Now 

 if hounds had been given a chance, there would 

 have been as good a run as one need wish to see — 

 one certainly above the average. For though 

 scent was catchy and uncertain, hounds did hunt 

 up to the fox, who was viewed only some three 

 fields in front of them about an hour from the 



