180 LABOUE IN VAIN 



wished them all to be huntsmen. Most cer- 

 tainly not ; but the more assistance a huntsman 

 has, the better in all probability the hounds will 

 be. Good sense, and a little observation, will 

 soon prevent such people from doing amiss ; 

 and I hold it as an almost invariable rule in 

 hunting, that those who do not know how to do 

 good are always liable to do harm.* There is 

 scarce an instant, during the whole chase, when 

 a sportsman ought not to be in one particular 

 place ; and I will venture to say, that if he is 

 not there^ he might as well be in his bed. 



I must give you an extraordinary instance of 

 a gentleman's knowledge of hunting. He had 

 hired a house in a fine hunting country, with a 

 good kennel belonging to it, in the neighbour- 

 hood of two packs of fox-hounds, of which mine 

 was one; and that he might offend neither, 



• This is a better reason, perhaps, why gentlemen ought 

 to understand this diversion, than for the good they may 

 do in it ; since a pack of hounds that are well manned will 

 seldom need any other assistance. A gentleman, perceiving 

 his- hounds to be much confused by the frequent halloos of 

 a stranger, rode up to him, and thanked him with great 

 civility for the trouble he was taking ; but at the same 

 time acquainted him, that the two men he saw in green 

 coats were paid so much a year on purpose to halloo ; it 

 would be needless for him, therefore, to give himself any 

 further trouble. 



