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cannot expect sport ; many say the art of fox- 

 hunting is keeping your pack in blood. All 

 hounds are liable to get out of it ; even in 

 Leicestershire I have heard of such things. 

 I remember being once with a pack, which 

 had been out of blood for some time : it was 

 a good scenting day, they found their fox 

 well, and went away close at him; the 

 owner observed to me, " Now look at them, 

 — do they appear to be out of blood ?" Very 

 true, I answered, but it won't last long ; 

 they soon came to a check, which brought 

 them to a hunting scent, then to difficul- 

 ties, and as last they lost their fox. If they 

 had been in blood, it is my firm opinion 

 they would have killed him. 



Hounds will not work through difficul- 

 ties, nor will they exert themselves in that 

 killing sort of manner when they are out of 

 blood. If after all you should, owing to 

 ill luck and bad weather, be in want of it, 

 the best way is to leave an earth open in a 



