116 THE POSITION OF THE HUNTSMAN. 



the ball about, and interfering with the game, or 

 not allowing the players room for their exertions ? 

 The case is parallel in the hunting-field. " He 

 comes too near, who comes to be denied ;" and 

 the rider who presses in so closely upon the 

 hounds as to prevent them swinging to recover the 

 line is interfering most unquestionably and most 

 unwarrantably with their game, and at the same 

 time, perhaps, spoiling the sport of the whole field, 

 merely for the empty boast of having lived along- 

 side the leading couples for the first twenty minutes. 

 But I go a point beyond this, and maintain that 

 there is no necessity even for a huntsman to be so 

 close to his leading hounds, if he has a pair of 

 good eyes in his head. Although, making every 

 allowance for the excitement of a fox-chase, we 

 must not forget that there are many jealous riders 

 in every hunt, who choose to assume, for the sake 

 of distinction alone, this position with the hounds, 

 which none, save the huntsman, has any preten- 

 sion to occupy. You may ride to the right or left 

 of the pack if you please, but you have no right 

 to ride so near as to interfere with their move- 

 ments or be in their way. I do not recommend 

 taking the down-wind side of the pack, from the 

 idea of a fox always running down-wind whenever 

 he is pressed, for he has invariably, when found, 



