^eckford 



He means that unless they are being taken to a holloa, 

 they should never be taken off their noses when they are 

 at fault. In fact, the huntsman should be able to move 

 them about with their noses down. This is not always 

 easy to do, and the power of doing it is what distinguishes 

 the artist and places him above his fellows. All good 

 packs of Hounds spread out like a fan immediately they 

 lose the scent, and separate this way and that. When the 

 huntsman has presently to manoeuvre them, for instance 

 to get on to fresh or favourable ground, he should on no 

 account call them together again, but move them in ex- 

 tended order in front of his horse. The open formation 

 they have adopted is the most favourable one for cover- 

 ing the ground and recovering the line, and it is a wicked 

 thing to spoil it. Yet how often does one see the hunts- 

 man call the Hounds together, trot off to the place where 

 he wishes to make the ground good, and then ask them 

 to spread out again ? They probably think, as Beckford 

 suggests, that he has abandoned the pursuit altogether, and 

 is going to look for another Fox. When he gets to the place 

 where he wants them to try again, much time is wasted 

 in getting them to spread and put their heads down, if in- 

 deed he succeeds in doing so at all. 



Letter XX. in * Thoughts upon Hunting ' is one of the most 

 intelligent and sensitive pieces of writing to be found in 

 any text-book of the Chase, and marks Peter Beckford as 

 one of the great master-minds in the study of the science 

 and art of Fox-hunting. It is lucky for posterity that he 



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