240 THE LARGE COVERS 



whole, consisted of about ten acres ; yet, whilst 

 the huntsman was blowing his horn, to get his 

 hounds off, one young fox was hallooed, and 

 another was seen immediately after : it was a 

 cover on the side of a hill, and the foxes had 

 kennelled close together at an extremity of it, 

 where no hound had been. Some huntsmen 

 draw too quick, some too slow. The time of 

 the day, the behaviour of his hounds, and the 

 covers they are drawing, will direct an observing 

 huntsman in the pace which he ought to go. 

 When you try a furze-brake, let me give you 

 one caution ; — never halloo a fox till you see he 

 is got quite clear of it. When a fox is found in 

 such places, hounds are sure to go off well with 

 him ; and it must be owing either to bad scent, 

 bad hounds, bad management, or bad luck, if 

 they fail "^o kill him afterwards. 



It is usual in most packs to rate, as soon as a 

 young hound challenges. They often are wrong, 

 yet, since it is not impossible that they may 

 sometimes be right, is it not better to have a 

 little patience, in order to see whether any of 

 the old ones will join, before any thing is said 

 to tliem ? 



Never hunt your small covers till you have 

 well rattled the large ones ; for until the foxes 



