THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING^ 20 J 



cannot however allow, that the riding clofe up 

 to hounds is always a lign of a good fportfman ; 

 if it were, a monkey, upon a good horfe, would be 

 the beft fportfrnan in the field. — ^Here mufb I cen- 

 fure, (but with refpecl) that eager fpirit which 

 frequently interrupts, and fometimes is fatal to 

 fport in fox-hunting ; for, though I cannot fub- 

 Icribe to the doiflrine of my friend ****, " that 

 '^ a pack of fox-hounds would be better w^ithout 

 '' a huntfman, than with one; and that if left to 

 '' themfelves, they would never lofe a fox ;" — 

 yet, allowing them their ufaal attendants, had he 

 obje(9:ed only to the fportfmen who follow them, 

 I muft have joined ifllie with him. Whoever 

 has followed hounds, mufi: have fccn them fre- 

 quently hurried beyond the Icent ; and whoever 

 is converfant in hunting, cannot but know, that 

 the fleam of many horfes, carried by the wind, 

 and mixed with a cold fcent, is prejudicial to it. 



It fometimes will happen, that a good horfe- 

 man is not fo w^ell in with hounds, as an indif- 

 ferent one ; becaufe he feldom will condefcend 

 to get off his horfe. I believe, the befi way to 

 follow hounds acrofs a country, is to keep on the 

 line of them, and to difmount at once, when you 

 come to a leap which you do not choofe to take ; 

 for in looking about for eaiier places, much time 

 is loft. In following hounds, it may be ufeful 

 to you to know, that when in cover they run up 



the 



