KEPT NEAR TO THE FOX. 279 



The many chances that are against you in 

 fox-hunting ; the changing frequently ; the 

 heading of the foxes; their being coursed by 

 sheep-dogs; long faults; cold hunting, and 

 the dying away of the scent, make it neces- 

 sary to keep always as near to the fox as 

 you can ; which should be the first and inva- 

 riable principle of fox-hunting. Long days 

 do great hurt to a pack of fox-hounds. I set 

 out one day last winter from the kennel at 

 half-past seven, and returned home a quarter 

 before eight at night, the hounds running 

 hard the greatest part of the time. The 

 huntsman killed one horse and tired another, 

 and the hounds did not recover it for more 

 than a week :* we took them off at last, when 

 they were running with a better scent than 

 they had the whole day. I remember, after 

 it was quite dark, to have heard a better view 

 halloo from an owl than I ever heard from 

 a sportsman in my life, though I hope that 

 I shall never hear such another. A long day, 

 nevertheless, once or twice in a season, is of 



* Hounds, after a very hard day, should have two clear 

 davs to rest : it does them less hurt to hunt two days fol- 

 lowing, when their work is easy, than to hunt, before they 

 may be perfectly recovered, after having been hard run. 



