OF STEADINESS. 227 



unsteady packs; yet I must also say, that I 

 have frequently seen the men even more un- 

 steady than the hounds. It is shocking to 

 hear hounds hallooed one minute, and rated 

 the next : nothing offends a good sportsman 

 so much, or is in itself so hurtful. I v/ill 

 give you an instance of the danger of it : — My 

 beagles were remarkably steady ; they hunted 

 hare in Cranbourn Chase, where deer are in 

 great plenty, and would draw for hours, with- 

 out taking the least notice of them. When 

 tired of hare-hunting, I was inclined to try if 

 I could find any diversion in hupting of fallow 

 deer. I had been told it would be impossible 

 to do it with the same hounds ; and, to put it 

 to the trial, I took them into a cover of my 

 own, which has many ridings cut in it, and 

 where are many deer. The first deer we saw 

 we hallooed, and by great encouragement, and 

 constant hallooing, there were but few of these 

 steady hounds but would run the scent. They 

 hunted deer constantly from that day, and never 

 lost one afterwards. Dogs are sensible animals ; 

 they soon find out what is required of them, 

 when we do not confuse them by our own 

 heedlessness : when we encourage them to hunt 

 a scent they have been rated from, and per- 



