154 HUNTING DIRECTORY. 



When a Huntsman 



ledge ; for without it, he never can make a cast, with 

 any certainty. 



'* It is his business to be ready at all times, to lend 

 them that assistance they so frequently stand in need of, 

 and which, when they are first at fault, is most critical. 

 A fox-hound, at that time, will exert himself most ; he 

 afterwards cools, and becomes more indifferent about 

 his game. Those huntsmen who do not get forward 

 enough, to take advantage of this eagerness and impetu- 

 osity, and direct it properly, seldom know enough of 

 hunting to be of much use to them afterwards. 



"A huntsman should always listen to his hounds, 

 whilst they are running in cover ; he should be particu- 

 larly attentive to the head hounds, and he should be 

 constantly on his guard against a skirter, for if there ai-e 

 two scents, he must be wrong. — Generally speaking, the 

 best scent is least likely to be that of the hunted fox : 

 and as a fox seldom suffers hounds to run up to him, as 

 long as he is able to prevent it ; so, nine times out of ten, 

 when foxes are hallooed early in the day, they are all 

 fresh foxes. The hounds most likely to be right, are the 

 hard-running, line-hunting hounds ; or such as the hunts- 

 man knows had the lead, before there arose any doubt 

 of changing. With regard to the fox, if he breaks over 

 an open country, it is no sign that he is hard run, for 

 they seldom at any time will do that, unless they are a 

 great way before the hounds. Also, if he runs up the 

 -wind — they seldom or ever do that, when they have been 

 long hunted, and grow weak ; and when they run their 

 .foil, that also may direct him. 



