Thoughts upon hunting, iZl 



LETTER XV 



T LEFT off juft as I had found the fox : I 

 -*- now, therefore^ with your leave, will fup- 

 pofe, that the hounds are running him. You 

 deiire I would he more particular with regard to 

 the men ; it was always my intention. To be- 

 gin, then^ the huntfman ought certainly to let oft' 

 with his foremoft hounds, and I Ihould with him 

 to keep as clofe to them afterwards as he conve- 

 niently can ; nor can any harm arife from it, un- 

 lefs he fhould not have common fenfc. No 

 hounds then can flip down the wind, and get out 

 of his hearing; he will alfo fee how far they 

 carry the fcent ; a neceffary rcquifite; for with- 

 out it, he never can make a cafl with any cer^ 

 tainty. 



You will find it not Icfs neceffary for your 

 huntfman to be a6live in prefFmg his hounds for- 

 ward,* while the fcent is good, than to be pru- 



* Prefling hounds on, is, perhaps, a dangerous expreffion; 

 as more harm may be done by prelTing them beyond the fcent, 

 when it is good, than when it is bad : however, it means no 

 more than to get forward the tail-hounds, and to encourage the 

 Others to pufli on as fafl as they can, while the fcent ferv.es 

 them. 



N 3 dent 



