THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 269 



any account to caft the hounds ; but, on the con- 

 trary, to let them tye upon the Icent as long as 

 they will, and that they will hit it off at laft. I 

 agree with them partly; — it certainly mufl be the 

 beft method to hunt a fox, for by this means you 

 may hunt him from morning till night ; and, if you 

 have the luck to find him, may hunt him again 

 the next day — the likeliell method, however, to 

 kill him, is to take every advantage of him tliat 

 you can. 



All hounds go fatl enough with a good fcent ; 

 but it is the particular excellence of a fox-hound, 

 when rightly managed, to get on fafter with an 

 indifferent fcent than any other hound :* it is the 

 bufinefs of a huntfman to encourage this ; ami 

 here, moji prohahly, the hare-hunter will fall. He 

 has been ufed to take his time ; he has enjoyed a 

 cold fcent like a Ibuthern hound ; and has fitteu 

 patiently upon his horfe to fee his hounds hunt. 

 It is, to be fare, very pretty to fee ; and v/hen 

 you confider that the hare is all the time, per- 

 haps, within a few yards of you, and may leap 

 up the next minute, you are perfe(9:ly contented 

 with what you are about ; but it is not fo in fox- 

 hunting : every minute that you lofe is precious, 

 and increafes your difficulties ; and while you 



* It is a quick method of hunting that I moflly value in 

 any hound ; I'uch as are polTefled of it are feldom long oif the 

 fcent ; it is the reverfe of flacknels, 



I arc 



