234 DUTY OF A HUNTSMAN. 



at present recollect of the duty of a whipper-in, 

 I shall now proceed to give you a further ac- 

 count of that of a huntsman. What has been 

 said on the subject of drawing and castinc/i 

 related to the fox-chase described in a former 

 letter. Much, without doubt, is still left to 

 say ; and I will endeavour, as well as I am 

 able, to make good the deficiency. I shall con- 

 sider, first, in what manner he should draw^ 

 and, afterwards, how he should cast his hounds. 



The fixing on the country you intend to 

 hunt, a day or two before, is a great hinderance 

 to sport in fox-hunting. You, that have the 

 whole country to yourself, and can hunt on 

 either side of your house, as you please, should 

 never (when you can help it) fix your place 

 of hunting till you see what the weather is.* 

 The most probable means to have good chases 

 is to choose your country according to the 

 wind. 



Hounds that lie idle are always out of wind, 

 and are easily fatigued. The first day you go 

 out after a long frost, you cannot expect much 



* When the scent lies badly, small covers, or those in 

 which a fox cannot move unseen, are most favourable to 

 hounds. In such covers, good sportsmen will kill foxes in 

 almost any weather. 



