HUNTING DIRECTORY. 165 



Of Casting lound Sheep. 



the line of it. Two parallel lines, you know, can never 

 meet. 



" When he goes to a halloo, let him be careful, lest his 

 hounds run the heel, as much time is lost by it. I once 

 saw this mistake made by a famous hvmtsman : — after we 

 had left a cover, which we had been drawing, a disturbed 

 fox was seen to go into it ; he was halloo'd, and we re- 

 turned. The huntsman, who never enquired njhere the 

 fox was seen, or on which side the cover he entered, 

 threw his hounds in at random; and, as it happened, on 

 the opposite side : they immediately took the heel of 

 him, broke cover, and hunted the scent back to his very 

 kennel. 



" Different countries require different casts : such 

 huntsmen as have been used to a woodland, and inclosed 

 country, I have seen lose time in an open country, where 

 wide casts are always necessary. 



" When you want to cast round a flock of sheep, the 

 whipper-in ought to drive them the other way, lest they 

 should keep running on before you. 



"A fox seldom goes over or under a gate, when he 

 can avoid it. 



*' Huntsmen are frequently very conceited, and very 

 obstinate. Often have I seen them, when their hounds 

 came to a check, turn directly back, on seeing hounds at 

 head, which they had no opinion of. They supposed 

 the fox was gone another way ; in which case, Mr. 

 Bayes's remark in the Rehearsal always occurs to me : 

 " that if he should not, what then becomes of their sup- 

 pose." Better, gurely, would it be, to make a short cast 

 forward first; they then might be certain the hounds 



