304 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING, 



point to go to ; and, though headed and turned dire<5lly 

 -from it, seldom fail to make it good at the last : thiSy 

 therefore, is a great help to an observing huntsman. 



. Suffer not your huntsman to encourage his hounds 

 too much on a bad-scenting day, particularly in covers 

 where there is much riot. Hark! hark! hark! which inju- 

 dicious huntsmen are so fond of upon every occasion, 

 must often' do mischief, and cannot do good : while 

 bounds are near together, they will get sooner to the 

 hound that challenges without that noise than with it. 

 If it be a right scent, they will be ready enough to join ; 

 and if it be a wrong one, provided they be let alone, 

 they will soon leave it : — injudicious encouragement, on a 

 bad day, might make them run something or other, right 

 or wrong. 



I KNov^' of no fault so bad in a hound as that of run- 

 ning false : it should never be forgiven. Such as are not 

 stout, or are stiff-nosed, or have other faults, may at times 

 (do good, and, at their worst, may do no harm j but such 

 as run false, most probably, will spoil your sport. A 

 hound capable of spoiling one day's sport, is scarcely 



