HUNTING DIRECTORY. 159 



scent themselves. It is always great impertinence in a 

 huntsman to pretend to make a cast himself, before the 

 hounds have made theirs. Prudence should direct hun 

 to encourage, and, I may say, humour his hounds, in the 

 cast they seem inclined to make, and either to stand still, 

 or trot round with them, as circumstances may require. 



" I have seen huntsmen make their cast on bad ground, 

 when they might as easily have made it on good. I have 

 seen them suffer their hounds to try in the midst of a 

 flock of sheep, when there was a hedge, near which they 

 might have been sure to take the scent ; and I have seen 

 a cast made with every hound at their horses' heels. — 

 When a hound tries for the scent, his nose is to the 

 ground : when a huntsman makes a cast, his eye should 

 be on his hounds ; and when he sees them spread wide, 

 and try as they ought, his cast may then be quick. 



" When hounds are at fault, and the huntsman halloos 

 them off the line of the scent, the whippers-in smacking 

 their whips, and rating them after him, if he trots away 

 with them, may not they think the business of the day 

 is over ? — Hounds never, in my opinion, (unless in par- 

 ticular cases, or when you go to a halloo) should be taken 

 entirely off their noses : but, when lifted, should be con- 

 stantly made to try as they go. Some huntsmen have 

 a dull, stupid way of speaking to their hounds ; at these 

 times, little should be said ; and that should have both, 

 meaning and expression in it. 



*' When your huntsman makes a cast, I hope he makes 

 it perfect one way, before he tries another, as much time 

 is lost by going backwards and forwards. You will see 

 huntsmen, when a forward cast docs not succeed, come 



