204 THOUGHTS UTON HUNTING. 



buntfman will feldom fufi'er his head hounds to 

 run away from him ; if it fhould fo happen, and 

 they be ftill within his hearing, he will link the 

 wind with the reft of the pack, and get to 

 them as fafl as he can. — Though I fufFer not 

 a pack of fox-hounds to hunt after fuch as 

 may be a long way before the reft, for reafons 

 which I have juit given ; yet, when a fingle 

 hound is gone on with the fcent, I fend a whip- 

 per-in to flop him. "Were the hounds to be taken 

 off the fcent to get to him, and he fhould no lon-r 

 ger have any fcent when they find him, the fox 

 miglit be loft by it. This is a reafon, why in large 

 covers, and particularly fuch as have many roads 

 in them, fkirting hounds fliould be left at home 

 on windy days. 



Skirters, I think, you may find hurtful, both 

 in men and dogs. Such as fkirt to lave their 

 horfes, often head the fox. Good tportlmen 

 never quit hounds, but to be of fervice to them : 

 with men of this defcription, fkirting becomes 

 a neceffary part of fox-hunting, and is of the 

 greateft ufe. Skirters ! beware of a furze-brake. 

 If you head back the fox, the hounds mofl: pro- 

 bably will kill him in the brake. Such as ride 

 after the hounds, at the fame time that they do 

 no good, are Icaft likely to do harm ; let fuch 

 only as underftand the bufinefs, and mean to be 

 of fervice to the hounds, ride wide of them; I 



cannot 



