,,advice ,,on ,,fox-,,hunting ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,henry ,x,v,i,i,ith ,baron ,willoughby de ,broke ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,advice ,,on ,,fox-,,hunting ,,by ,,henry ,,xviii ,,baron ,,willoughby ,,de ,,broke ,,with ,,preface ,,by ,,his ,,son ,,richard ,,greville ,,john ,,and ,,edward ,,bumpus ,,ltd4 #cej ,,oxford ,,street1 ,,london1 ,w4 #aijf ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,preface ,,in response to a suggestion that some of my father's writings upon ,fox-hunting should be collected and published in a separate volume1 ,i have chosen the three papers contained in this book4 ,his claim to be heard rests upon accomplishments still fresh in the annals of the chase2 it may1 however1 be of interest to recall that he became ,master of the ,warwickshire ,hounds in #ahgf1 availing himself of the services of a professional huntsman until #ahha1 when he commenced to carry the horn himself1 and continued to do so till ill health caused his retirement in the autumn of #ahih4 ,,willoughby ,,de ,,broke4 ,,kineton1 ,,warwick4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,contents ,i4 ,,to ,,masters ,,of ,,hounds #i ,,ii4 ,,to ,,huntsmen #bi ,,iii4 ,,to ,,whippers-,,in #ee ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,i ,,to ,,masters ,,of ,,hounds ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,advice on ,fox-,hunting ,i4 ,,to ,,masters ,,of ,,hounds ,,the first thing to be done on taking a country is to get the land and covert owners on your side4 ,write to all of them asking leave to draw their coverts1 and express a hope that they will extend the same kindness in the preservation of foxes to you as they have always done to your predecessors4 ,i would advise as much compliance with the wishes of game preservers as is consistent with hunting the country fairly4 ,but there is one thing ,i could never find it in my heart to do1 which is1 to stop the hounds when running hard for a game-preserver's covert4 ,if you are ,master of a pack which belongs to the country1 ,i say you have no right to spoil the hounds belonging to the county gentlemen by disappointing them in this way4 ,no2 by all means steer clear of the shooting-parties1 and meet the shooter's wishes as much as you can1 but by no means1 and for no man1 stop your hounds when running4 ,i should never advise anyone to take a country in which there is an old-established huntsman1 a favourite with everyone1 and one whom it would be something like high treason on your part to dismiss4 ,he will be master1 not you4 ,you will simply be a paying machine to settle all the bills and mount him1 and he will constantly be grumbling about his horses1 and perhaps will even give vent to his feelings in his speech at your puppy-show luncheon4 ,far the best plan is to start fresh with your own man1 keeping perhaps one of the old staff to show the rest the way about at first4 ,choose a man of fair experience1 and above all do not listen to the accounts of hunt-servants' riding1 and be led into taking on one of the boys who get huntsmen's places in these modern days4 ,the majority of hunting-men seem to think that1 if a man or a boy will only jump big places1 he must be a good huntsman1 and boys get pitchforked into good places as huntsmen before they know how to whip-in or even to behave4 ,when ,i began hunting1 whippers-in did not look to be huntsmen before they were well past thirty4 ,nowadays it is no uncommon thing to find the huntsman the youngest of the three servants4 ,i do not mean to say that a huntsman should not ride2 of course1 he should ride up to his hounds and see how far they have carried the scent1 but everyone can ride if he only gets a horse good enough2 the difficulty is to get a man who knows when to ride1 and will do so only to get to his hounds1 and not to win the approbation of an ignorant field4 ,but always mount your men well1 if only for economy's sake2 they will take care of good horses1 but will not do so of bad ones4 ,be careful how you breed your hounds4 ,in forming a pack you will have to be dependent1 in a great measure1 on sires from other packs4 ,but do not be tempted to run after a hound because he has won at ,peterborough1 or is very good-looking1 or is even said to be very good in his work1 if he comes of a strain that you do not like1 or if his pedigree contains a lot of soft blood1 or if his ancestors come from a kennel that you cannot trust4 ,a chance-bred foxhound is like a chance-bred racehorse3 he may be very good at his work1 but he is worthless for breeding4 ,not being carefully bred himself1 the faults of his progenitors are certain to be reproduced in his offspring4 ,there is a good deal of nonsense talked about looks in these days1 but1 depend on it1 the best working hounds in a pack are never the worst-looking1 though1 of course1 a real beauty1 a ,peterborough winner1 may turn out useless in the field4 ,this is a good lesson4 ,turn up his pedigree1 and you will find where the mistake in his breeding has been made4 ,never breed from a hound in his first season4 ,he may develop all manner of faults1 and you cannot breed a fault out3 you must stamp it out4 ,some people think that if you breed from a noisy bitch and a mute dog1 or vice versa1 you will have hit the just medium in tongue4 ,far from it4 ,in all probability half the litter will turn out mute1 the other half noisy4 ,of course1 neither hound ought to have been kept1 much less bred from4 ,always draft a mute hound4 ,there is no fault so bad1 and the better he is in his work the more harm he will do4 ,then there is straightness4 ,everybody in his heart of hearts likes his hounds straight4 ,in my experience it is only those who cannot breed straight hounds who prefer crooked ones2 some even go so far as to say that a straight hound cannot be good in his work6 ,but ,i always notice that1 when hound breeders of this sort happen to breed a straight hound1 they are as proud of him as a hen is of one chick4 ,of course1 you must have plenty of good walks to breed a good pack of hounds1 so that you can mercilessly afford to draft mute1 noisy1 skirting1 or lame hounds1 without getting your pack too short4 ,a puppy show and a luncheon after it are good things2 but do not have your huntsman's health proposed4 ,indulgence in post-prandial rhetoric save by the experienced is apt to be dangerous4 ,if you1 or your huntsman1 or both of you1 are new to the country1 ,i should say certainly go cub-hunting yourself every morning1 so as to learn the locality yourself1 or show it to your huntsman1 as the case may be4 ,and let cub-hunting be cub-hunting2 keep your hounds on the dark as much as possible1 and never try to have a run across the open4 ,no man can ride to the hounds1 in the ,midlands at anyrate1 while the leaf is on the hedges1 consequently fences get pulled about1 gaps are made1 the farmers' stock1 especially the grass bullocks1 injured1 and altogether much more damage done by a few horsemen than is done by many in regular hunting4 ,in dry1 hard weather the hounds' feet get injured1 and in any weather at all they run a risk of being spoilt4 ,they check3 no one is with them1 off go some of the entry after a hare1 taking most likely a few of the one- and two-seasoned hunters with them1 and in about half-an-hour all the trouble you have taken in breaking during the summer and autumn is lost4 ,sport for the field cannot be said to begin till ,november #a1 but it is in the two or three months prior to this that a pack of hounds is made or marred1 and these months must be given up to the ,master and ,huntsman to make the pack4 ,i am fairly astonished to see that some establishments have actually taken to advertising their cub-hunting fixtures4 ,this is the height of folly4 ,there is no greater nuisance than a parcel of men1 women1 and grooms1 the two former most likely smoking1 all of them out on fresh horses1 and talking in the rides of a covert4 ,the ,hunt servants cannot get about to do their work1 and the hounds get kicked4 ,never commit 8the fatal mistake0 of not beginning cub-hunting as soon as the corn is cut2 and never take fright1 and leave off1 because the ground gets hard4 ,to do this is ruination to your entry and to the one- and two-seasoned hunters1 who will begin forty times wilder than the young ones4 ,breed your hounds with good legs and feet1 and they will not take much harm1 and if you do screw up a few old cub-hunting horses1 what matter8 ,in breeding your hounds make up your mind what sort you like and stick to that sort4 ,if you like ,welsh hounds 7of which ,i have little knowledge7 breed ,welsh hounds and have a ,welsh pack2 but if you prefer ,english hounds1 try to breed them as good-looking as possible4 ,in the ,midlands ,i am quite certain that the best sort to aim at are the best-looking4 ,i do not mean the largest-boned animals--they do not have to carry weight--nor do ,i insist on great spring of the ribs4 ,there is a medium in all things1 and ribs and bone must be kept up to a certain extent1 or your hounds will look shallow1 and1 as ,mr ,bragg said1 8only fit to hunt a cat in a kitchen40 ,but ,i will never believe that a hound tires because he is light of bone2 my experience has been all the other way1 against 8that useless appendage10 as ,lord ,henry ,bentinck called bone4 ,in my opinion1 the thing that makes a hound stoop to the scent easily is a good neck and shoulders1 so that the hound is running at his ease and within himself all the time4 ,i would never sacrifice necks and shoulders to bone1 straightness1 or ribs4 ,but ,i hear someone say 8,nose40 ,well1 ,i suppose there are hounds more tender-nosed than others1 and if these are found out they should1 of course1 be bred from4 ,but ,i am not quite sure that dash1 intelligence1 and perseverance do not ensure what is called a good nose4 ,a hound may have ever such a sensitive organ of smell1 but he is no use if he is shy1 idle1 or slack4 ,any hound will run hard on a real good-scenting day1 but give me one who will try for you on a bad-scenting day2 who will jump a gate when casting himself1 and will jump it back again if he does not hit the line off2 in short1 one who is miserable if he is off the line1 and does not go and contentedly lie down and lap in a pond4 ,i have often been quite sorry for good hounds who have worked so hard to no purpose on a bad-scenting day4 ,but these are the boys to keep and breed from2 if one could get a whole pack of them1 very few foxes would get away4 ,i think the best size for hounds is #bc inches for dogs1 and rather lower1 but not much1 for bitches4 ,in a grass country no hound1 however big1 can jump a stake-and-bound fence with a ditch to him1 to say nothing of bullfinches1 and small hounds do get through these fences quicker and with less tailing than big ones4 ,in a wall or bank country ,i do not suppose it matters so much1 though ,i doubt whether big hounds are able to jump better than small ones4 ,foxes must be bustled to be killed4 ,mr ,jorrocks says3 8,full well he knows1 to kill their fox they must have nose10 but also he knows 8that to kill their fox they must press him at some period or other of the chase40 ,there is great difference in foxes4 ,some come to hand easily1 but there are some that will beat any pack of hounds1 unless at some time or other in the run they are hard pressed for half-an-hour at least2 indeed1 there are some foxes who seem1 over grass1 in dryish weather1 to be able to keep going nearly all day4 ,it is certainly not bone which enables hounds to catch foxes of this sort4 ,they must have good necks and shoulders1 and they must be in tiptop condition4 ,that is how the foxes are killed1 by care and careful conditioning in the kennel1 and by being in good heart and confidence1 with plenty of blood4 ,lastly1 unless you are genuinely fond of hounds and hound breeding1 do not have anything to do with their ,mastership4 ,the blanks in an ,m4,f4,h4's career are many compared with the prizes4 ,a good day and a kill in the open is a splendid thing4 ,everyone is pleased2 the ride home seems short1 and the port tastes well in the evening2 but continuous bad luck1 bad scent1 and everyone taking a pleasure in telling you how well the neighbouring ,hunts are doing is hard to bear4 ,still1 it is a consolation when you get back among your hounds1 which you have carefully bred yourself1 to know for certain that the temporary loss of sport is not their fault1 that they will do all they can for you1 and that your turn must come again4 ,buy your forage1 and as many of your hunters as you can1 from the farmers in the ,hunt1 and never use moss litter or any other substitute for straw4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,ii ,,to ,,huntsmen ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,ii4 ,,to ,,huntsmen ,,stay at home and look after your hounds4 ,remember ,garge ,riddel3 8,let fools go travel far and nigh1 ,we bides at home1 my dog and ,i40 ,so stay at home and look after your dogs summer and winter1 and do not go gadding about all the puppy shows in the kingdom4 ,at your own puppy show1 if your master is foolish enough to allow your health to be drunk1 simply acknowledge the compliment1 and do not follow the present practice of huntsmen in making what you doubtless think is a clever and facetious speech4 ,when the hunting season is over1 and your young hounds will go pretty quietly without couples1 get on the hacks and have the old hounds also out4 ,i do not mean to fast exercise1 but long walking exercise1 keeping under the trees and in the shade as much as possible4 ,anything is better for hounds than lying all day on the hot flags4 ,give some boiled vegetables in the old hounds' food this time of year4 ,young nettles gathered before they get tough and stingy are as good as anything4 ,the young hounds will do very well on navy ship biscuits soaked and mixed with some good broth4 ,towards the latter part of ,july1 say about the time of the ,peterborough ,shows1 you will begin to trot the old and young hounds along1 and will find as many hares1 deer1 etc41 as you can4 ,keep your hounds moving right up to cub-hunting1 and have them on the light side to begin with1 or if the weather is hot they will tire before the foxes1 get disgusted1 do themselves no end of harm1 and will very likely leave the foxes instead of breaking them up properly4 ,it is a grand thing for hounds if you can show them some riot just before throwing them into a covert where you are sure to find a litter of cubs4 ,allow plenty of time to get to the meet2 five to six miles an hour is quite fast enough1 but when cub-hunting you can travel a bit faster than in regular hunting4 ,in cub-hunting always let the hounds find their own fox1 and do not have him holloaed over a ride at first4 ,do not have him headed back1 or held up till he is beat1 and then do so for fear of changing4 ,the more foxes you kill cub-hunting after good work for hounds1 the steadier and keener your pack will be1 but do not go and surround small places and pick up two or three foxes at once4 ,this does not benefit the hounds more than killing one1 and in a good country is wanton waste4 ,always dig your fox cub-hunting if he goes to ground in a practicable place4 ,in regular hunting it is better to go and find another than to keep the field starving in the cold2 but always remember that you cannot have steady hounds without plenty of blood1 and that in a country where foxes are numerous1 if the pack are riotous it is always the fault of the huntsman4 ,so begin ,november with your hounds 8blooded up to the eyes10 as ,lord ,henry ,bentinck wrote4 ,never mind what people say about letting foxes have a chance and letting them go4 ,in a small covert let the best foxes who break covert first go1 and stay and kill the worst one1 but never be tempted by what anybody says to try and have a run in the open4 ,it is all very well for those who come out4 ,their horses are fresh1 as they have been standing about1 while you and your whippers-in have been working yours hard4 ,they can jump or not as they like1 and if they lose the hounds they can go back to breakfast1 while you and the whippers-in must stick to the hounds at all costs4 ,besides1 the young hounds do not understand it at first1 and simply follow the old ones1 and do themselves no end of harm by getting lost1 stopping in ponds1 etc4 ,always remember you are the servant of your master1 not of the field1 and his orders should always be not to get away in the open in the cub-hunting season4 ,in regular hunting the whole system is reversed4 ,then you try and get away with the first fox that leaves1 presumably the best one4 ,if you cannot get all the hounds1 and at all events enough to go on with1 because the pack are running another1 do not stand blowing1 still less move a field or two away and blow1 but gallop back as quickly as possible1 get up wind of your hounds1 and blow them away4 ,if by good luck they happen to throw up for a moment1 out they will come to your horn1 and you can lay both ends on the line together4 ,unless the fox goes straight away up wind1 it is almost always better to blow your hounds out at a place where the fox has not gone1 and lay them on all together4 ,always have one way of blowing when the fox is away--one that neither the field nor the hounds can mistake--and unless the latter are running very hard1 you will see how they will come tumbling out to it4 ,all hounds hate struggling in thick covert1 and are more or less anxious to get away4 ,but never be tempted to use this note for any other purpose4 ,if you do1 its charm is gone4 ,you cannot1 to quote ,lord ,henry ,bentinck again1 lie to your hounds with impunity4 ,indeed1 in hunting a fox in the open you should hardly use your horn at all4 ,i am no advocate for much horn2 as ,mr ,vyner says1 in season it is like a word3 8,how good it is02 but when it is blown ,i like it to give forth no uncertain sound1 that everyone may know what is meant by it1 hounds and all4 ,if you are always blowing your horn1 whether you want hounds or not1 you might as well be playing the concertina for all they will care for it4 ,when you come to the first check it is almost a certainty that the fox has turned right or left4 ,of course1 if a good one1 he may turn again and make his original point1 so do not sit still4 ,try and keep the field off the hounds1 and encourage them to try1 up wind at first if possible3 the fox has most likely turned down wind1 but the hounds will almost swing their own cast unaided up wind2 and if the fox has turned in this direction and they hit him off1 he is yours2 nothing but an open drain can save him4 ,meanwhile1 cast your eye well forward and down wind1 and see if you can see the fox or anything suggestive1 such as a man running1 sheep running1 or having run together1 to show where he is gone4 ,when the pack have finished their cast1 then1 and not till then1 go to them3 do not stand and blow2 whisper a word of encouragement in their ears1 and cast them1 on the best scenting ground you can see1 in a body in front of you4 ,you will be able to keep the field off their backs much better in this way than if you started off jumping with the pack at your horse's tail and all the hard-riding fools of the field mixed up with them4 ,if the assisted up-wind cast and the down-wind cast both end in silence1 it looks bad2 but always remember that if your down-wind cast is a wide one the fox may have gone to ground short of it1 or you may have cast over his line owing to a bit of bad scenting4 ,all you can do then is to use your discretion4 ,i remember a season or two ago1 after having come a considerable way1 the hounds threw up among a perfect sea of greasy wheat-fields1 in which there seemed to be positively no scent at all4 ,the orthodox casts having produced no result1 ,i noticed there was one grass field about a mile and a half ahead--an oasis in the desert4 ,i thought3 8,well1 the fox is lost anyhow1 but if by good luck he has crossed that field1 the hounds will show a line40 ,i cantered on1 and they did show a line1 with the result that we were able to keep on after the fox and eventually kill him in a neighbouring country4 ,when you come to a covert let your hounds hunt the line through it4 ,i do not like the plan of having them whipped off the line and casting beyond it4 ,never take the hounds off their noses if you can help it4 ,similarly1 when your fox is beat1 and you see him before hounds1 hold your tongue1 and by no means take them off their noses unless you are perfectly certain you can give them a view4 ,if the fox pops through a hedge and they do not see him1 you will have lost a lot of time1 as the hounds will not hunt for a few minutes1 but will stand staring about1 expecting to see the fox4 ,the only time it is allowable to lift them after a beaten fox is when they are running for a head of open earth or a covert full of fresh foxes4 ,but never1 under any circumstances1 go and ride the fox1 leaving your hounds4 ,i have seen many huntsmen do this1 but ,i never yet saw one catch a fox by himself1 though ,i have seen some very nearly do it4 ,your fox is dead and the day over4 ,travel home quietly1 and do not have the hounds hurried4 ,stop somewhere if the day has been very hard1 and give your horses some chilled water or gruel if you can get it2 but do not stop long1 and never go inside a house1 no matter whose it is4 ,when you get home feed your hounds yourself1 with judgment4 ,the man who hunts the hounds should always feed them2 not because feeding them makes them any fonder of you1 but because the huntsman knows1 or ought to know1 how much each hound requires4 ,never let them eat to repletion2 if you do1 what is the result8 ,in every pack there are some slow1 shy feeders3 while these are playing with their food the greedy ones are fairly gorging themselves4 ,the next day's hunting will find the light feeders some two or three fields ahead of the gorgers1 to the detriment of the looks and sport of the pack4 ,years ago hounds were always washed after hunting4 ,i do not think this a good plan--they will soon clean themselves in the straw2 but if it is pouring with rain when you return to kennel1 so that whatever you do you can make the hounds no wetter1 ,i can see no harm in throwing some nice warm broth over them1 and it certainly makes them look well the next day4 ,always have two lodging-rooms for your hunting pack3 put them in one directly after feeding1 and shift them into another for the rest of the night in about an hour and a half's time4 ,this will prevent a lot of kennel lameness1 which is really rheumatism4 ,in breeding ,i see no reason why pregnant bitches should not run with the pack if you are at all short3 of course1 they must be stopped in good time4 ,they should then be turned out of the kennel and given their liberty all day4 ,i know this causes some complaint if the kennels are near a village1 as these old ladies are sad thieves2 but having kennels near a village is such a manifest advantage to the latter that complaint really ought not to be made4 ,five puppies are quite enough for any mother to bring up4 ,after the middle of ,may four is plenty4 ,do all you can to induce farmers and others to walk puppies2 without good walks every pack must deteriorate4 ,show an interest in your puppies by looking them up at summer exercise4 ,when they come in from quarters1 and distemper and yellows break out1 you will have your hands full1 and must not mind having to get up in the night and attend to the sick ones4 ,there are all sorts of recipes1 homopathic as well as allopathic1 but the best medicines are warmth1 care1 and attention4 ,it is not sufficient to drop the food down before the puppy2 you must stay and see that he eats it4 ,yellows is a much more dangerous disease than distemper1 and coming with it1 as it often does1 is almost always fatal4 ,calomel in some form or other seems to be the only remedy1 and that a very uncertain one4 ,never let the old and young hounds lodge or feed together till cub-hunting4 ,if rabies breaks out1 it almost always comes from some hound having been bitten at quarters4 ,if you have once had rabies in your kennel you will never forget it4 ,ride your horses fairly1 and do not try and gain the praise of ignorant onlookers by jumping unnecessary fences2 and do not be always quarrelling with your horse and jagging at his mouth--the best riders are those who are on good terms with their horses4 ,do not grumble2 do not quarrel with the stud groom4 ,remember you are one of the luckiest men in the world1 paid for doing what is or what ought to be your greatest pleasure4 ,do not be down-hearted if you get into a run of bad luck and are tempted to think you will never catch a fox again1 and when you hear things said which would try the patience of ,job4 ,luck will change1 and you will begin to think you can never lose a fox again4 ,talk to your hounds and make much of them2 never speak angrily or uncivilly to them4 ,whatever you do1 always try and get them to think they are doing it all themselves4 ,if you have to stop them at dark1 or off a vixen1 try and do it when they come to a check2 but if you are obliged to stop them roughly1 get off your horse and make friends with them again4 ,show them they have done no wrong by persevering on4 ,always ask to have the mute hounds1 skirters1 and noisy ones drafted at once4 ,they are faults that always get worse1 and as ,jorrocks says1 a skirting hound1 like a skirting rider1 is sure to have a lot of followers4 ,i do not call a hound a skirter that cuts corners going to the cry4 ,this is what every good hound ought to do4 ,be kind to your whippers-in2 do not try and slip them4 ,when you turn back drawing a covert always let them know by a good loud 8,yooi over1 try back60 ,they will work all the better for you if you help them in their little ways4 ,when you have made up your mind to go to a holloa1 take your hounds off their noses and travel along4 ,do not1 if you can help it1 let them hunt again till you have found out from the man who holloaed exactly which way the fox really went4 ,he very likely turned him1 and the hounds may take it heel way3 it is poor consolation to be told by a grinning rustic1 after the hounds have settled with a good cry1 8,they be a running back scent40 ,it is easier to strike the line heel way than people think4 ,casting you may get on the heel line of another fox which has left the covert since you did4 ,i have often been laughed at for doing it and told to trust my hounds2 but even if they are running hard1 and ,i come across a man who has seen the fox1 ,i do not think a few seconds are thrown away in finding out which way the fox's head was4 ,as my father used to say1 take every advantage you can of your fox4 ,he will take every one he possibly can of you4 ,look out along a road4 ,it is a curious thing1 but hounds hardly ever turn out of one exactly where the fox has gone4 ,they either go too far or more commonly not far enough4 ,if you can manage to get half the pack in the road and the other half in two lots on each of it1 you are in a capital position2 and when those in the road throw up you can press on without fear of overrunning the scent4 ,do not hurry the hounds in a road1 and beware how you encourage one that is always making a hit under these circumstances4 ,if you make too much of him you will turn him into a rogue4 ,always acknowledge to your master when you have lost the fox1 and do not go dragging on1 and slip the hounds into a covert and count the fresh fox you find as the one you have been hunting4 ,your master may wish the covert drawn in a different way4 ,be cheery in drawing woods2 make plenty of noise1 so that the hounds may know where you are4 ,if they are very fond of you1 they will be listening about for you if you go on the silent system4 ,hounds that habitually hang back in covert should be drafted1 but after you have drawn one blank you will only make these offenders worse by standing and blowing4 ,move on1 and they will catch you up4 ,once more1 but it cannot be too often repeated1 never interfere with your hounds at checks till they have made their own casts first4 ,to quote ,lord ,henry ,bentinck once more1 hounds that are repeatedly messed about and cast will in a short time become demoralised so that they will do nothing to help themselves4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,iii ,,to ,,whippers-,,in ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,iii4 ,,to ,,whippers-,,in ,,summer ,,exercise ,,and ,,breaking ,,young ,,hounds ,,of course1 during the first few weeks of horse exercise1 no young hound should be allowed to break away at all1 or the whole entry will soon become wild and demoralised4 ,later on1 if a hare gets up1 or any other temptation to riot arises1 the hounds should be allowed a good look at the cause of it without anyone saying a word4 ,the steady hounds1 when they see what it is1 will do nothing1 but if one of the wilder customers wants to have his fling1 let him go for at least two hundred yards1 as long as he gets through no fence over which you cannot follow him1 and then ride quietly and quickly to his head1 and let him have it as hot as you can4 ,when he has felt the lash then1 and not till then1 rate him soundly and frighten him back to the huntsman4 ,if you ride after a riotous hound1 holloaing at him from behind1 you not only destroy your chance of hitting him1 but will1 by your ill-judged noise1 as often as not make some of the others join him4 ,similarly1 in the hunting season1 when the pack is being cast1 and a young hound starts after a hare1 the quieter you are1 and everyone else is1 the better4 ,get to the offender and punish him severely if you possibly can1 but do not begin holloaing at him1 and thereby causing the rest of the pack to get their heads up4 ,it is far from an easy thing to hit a hound when he is running riot1 and it is an accomplishment that few whippers-in1 in these days1 seem to possess2 but remember1 the less noise you make before you get to him1 the better chance you have1 and above all never be tempted to revenge yourself1 by hitting him at some future time when he is doing no harm4 ,if a hound hangs back in covert after it has been drawn blank1 ride in and give him a hiding if you can1 but never hit one and cut him off from the huntsman after he is outside4 ,hounds that habitually hang back in covert should be drafted speedily4 ,always be attentive when the pack is travelling along a road to prevent their picking up anything1 and always be ready to open the gates in turn4 ,,drawing ,,and ,,running ,,in ,,covert ,remember that the moment the hounds throw off you are as much on duty as a sentinel at a ,royal ,palace1 and if any of the field is foolish enough to try and engage you in a conversation you should respectfully1 but firmly1 decline to have your attention taken off the hounds4 ,always remember that the ,master is your master1 and not 8the field0 or any member of it4 ,i have actually seen a whipper-in standing in a ride1 in a wood1 where we had a beaten fox before us1 and where there were several fresh foxes1 waiting while one of the field fumbled for some time in his pockets1 to find a sovereign for him1 ,i suppose4 ,when a large covert1 where there are plenty of foxes1 is being drawn up wind1 which should always be done if possible1 the whippers-in should both keep near the hounds1 about level with the leading ones and a bit wide1 one on each side of the pack1 and should not ride on to view a fox4 ,you will get no credit from the huntsman for holloaing a fox a quarter of a mile off when the pack have unkennelled a brace and are on the point of dividing close to him4 ,i have more than once seen a whipper-in get so far up wind of the pack that the latter have found a fox and turned short back down wind1 and he has gone riding on and known nothing about it4 ,besides1 it is far better for hounds to find their fox for themselves than that they should be holloaed to him over a ride1 and they should always be allowed to do so in the cub-hunting months4 ,the case is altered later on in the season1 and if a woodland is drawn down wind1 or there is no wind at all1 or if foxes are very scarce1 or the covert is very thin4 ,in most of these cases one whipper-in should keep well ahead of the huntsman1 or the best1 or perhaps the only1 fox may slip off without being seen1 and get a long start4 ,there is a vast difference between up and down wind1 and thick and thin covert1 yet some whippers-in never seem to understand this4 ,wherever you are1 as soon as you hear the hounds find1 and your huntsman cheer them1 get to them as soon as you can1 and take a ride parallel to that along which the huntsman is riding1 so that you may have the pack between you and him2 do your best to maintain to his horn and holloa1 and prevent the pack from dividing4 ,if they cross a ride into another quarter let him know at once4 ,stick to your hounds and never mind the foxes4 ,in cub-hunting when your orders are to head the fox back1 be careful to stand well out from the covert1 keep your eyes1 as the ,american saying is1 skinned1 and crack your whip and holloa at the fox the moment he shows his face2 it will be too late to do so if he gets twenty or thirty yards away before you see him4 ,when you have turned him back1 let the huntsman know by holloaing 8,tally-ho-back60 ,if you are in a ride which you have been told to prevent a fox from crossing1 a little judicious use of your voice may help to do what is wanted1 and will do no harm1 as long as the pack are running with a good cry2 but the instant they throw up1 shut your mouth and tap your saddle1 or you will get their heads up at the very moment when every hound should have his down looking for his fox4 ,nothing is more irritating to a huntsman than to have the attention of his hounds taken off at this critical moment by a whipper-in holloaing 8,loo-,loo60 just when he ought to be perfectly quiet4 ,in watching a ride or looking out for a view anywhere1 never take your eyes or your attention off for a moment4 ,if you do1 the fox will surely cross at that very instant1 and you will look an idiot if you tell the huntsman the fox has not crossed or gone your way1 and the pack come and take the scent up with a good cry4 ,when the hunted fox crosses be sure you holloa 8,tally-ho-over60 and if he turns back 8,tally-ho-back60 ,you will do more harm than good by turning a fox back in a wood unless he is almost done1 as hounds will run him better on fresh ground1 and if he keeps straight on4 ,but when he is beaten he should be kept back in one quarter if possible4 ,this should always be done1 both in cub-hunting and regular hunting2 also if there are many fresh foxes in the covert1 so as to avoid changing on to one of them4 ,,breaking ,,covert ,,in ,,regular ,,hunting ,where your object is to view the fox away1 stand close to the covert1 and in a position where you can see as far along the side of it and over as much country as possible2 let the fox get right well away1 a good field1 at least1 and then holloa 8,forward away60 as loud as you like4 ,watch him as far as you can1 and observe1 at all events1 where he went through the first fence4 ,if he goes away a long distance from you1 do not ride up to the place where he broke and begin holloaing down wind1 where no one can hear you1 but rather turn back towards the huntsman so as to make certain of being heard4 ,similarly1 if you hear a holloa that the huntsman cannot1 do not ride on to the person who is holloaing1 for if you do the huntsman will be no more able to hear you than him4 ,turn back towards the huntsman and pass the holloa on to him4 ,never ride after the fox or on his line at all4 ,should the fox show himself and turn back1 keep perfectly quiet1 and he will probably go away directly4 ,if1 however1 the day is a very bad scenting one1 and the huntsman is evidently going to draw over his fox1 you must let him know in some way or other that there is a fox in the covert4 ,when the fox is away1 and the huntsman is coming up with the pack1 ride close up to him and tell him quietly what has happened1 and how far you saw the fox4 ,always remember that the whipper-in who gets most credit from the huntsman is he who makes the latter's task the easiest4 ,if one or two couples of hounds come out on the line of the fox ahead of the rest1 it is your duty to stop them at all hazards4 ,if they get two or three fields' start in a stiff country they will spoil any run1 however good the scent4 ,this is especially the case on a wild windy day1 when the fox has started down wind4 ,on days of this sort1 and indeed on a good many others1 it is better for the huntsman to blow his hounds out of covert at a place where the fox has not gone away1 and lay them on in a body afterwards4 ,one minute judiciously spent in giving every hound a fair start will be saved over and over again in the course of the run4 ,when the hounds are away it is usual for the first whipper-in to go on with them1 and for the second to stay and see them all away2 but if the second whipper-in holloas the fox away1 and the first is a good way back1 the former should go on with the huntsman till the latter comes up1 when the second whipper-in can fall back and save his horse1 which may have to carry him all day4 ,when you are bringing up the tail hounds1 and you are near the body of the pack1 be careful not to make any noise1 or you will infallibly get the leading hounds' heads up should they happen to be at fault4 ,if the latter are running hard those with you will soon leave you and join them4 ,,hunting ,a ,,fox ,,in ,,the ,,open ,when you have to turn hounds remember that you cannot do so unless you get to their heads4 ,very often one sees a huntsman blowing his horn1 an unjumpable fence between him and the pack1 and the whipper-in on the same side of the fence as the huntsman rating and holloaing at the hounds4 ,he is really doing his best to drive them still farther from the huntsman and increasing his difficulties4 ,no huntsman who knows anything of his business will be angry with you for not being at the heads of the hounds on all occasions1 as it is often a physical impossibility for you to be so2 but he will be angry1 and rightly so1 if1 just to show you are somewhere near1 and are doing something1 you get between him and the pack and rate them farther away from him4 ,similarly1 when he is blowing them away from a covert after a fox1 get to them and rate them on if you can1 but if that is impossible1 do the next best thing and hold your tongue4 ,when the pack are running riot or heel1 and you go to stop them1 take a look at the fences and gates before you start1 and make up your mind exactly where you will get to their heads1 and do not ride crossways at the middle of the pack only to cross the line behind them just as the tail hounds are going through a fence4 ,in the open when you have turned the hounds1 which1 if you get to their heads1 is done with a word1 your work is finished for the moment2 on no account ride after them cracking your whip and rating them1 or you will very likely drive them clean over the line of scent1 and on a bad scenting day are nearly sure to do so4 ,your best plan is to canter back towards the huntsman so as to be ready to help him to prevent any of the hounds from taking up the line heel way4 ,this stupid bungle is generally the huntsman's own fault1 as he ought to cast his hounds in front of him2 but sometimes on windy days1 when the fox has gone straight down wind1 it is a little difficult to prevent it4 ,when you are sent on to obtain information from someone who has seen the fox1 find out as quickly as you can all he has to tell you and then take off your cap1 and point out the fox's line4 ,if you point with your hand only it is almost impossible to see it from a distance4 ,when the pack run into a covert of moderate size the first whipper-in should watch which side the huntsman goes1 and should ride along the other1 taking care to keep as nearly opposite him as possible4 ,the second whipper-in1 especially if the hounds are running up wind1 or have a tired fox before them1 should hang back till he is quite certain they are 8forward away0 on the line4 ,if they are running with even a moderate scent1 the whippers-in will do more good by acting in this way than by galloping on to the end for a view1 as they will run no risk of heading the fox and perhaps spoiling the run of the season4 ,if the fox keeps straight on the hounds will run him if there is any scent at all1 but he will very likely be lost if the whole establishment goes forward and he lies down and slips back without being seen4 ,some huntsmen1 on nearing a small covert1 are fond of catching hold of their hounds1 and holding them forward so as to hit the fox's line if he has gone through4 ,if this is done it is an absolute necessity that one of the whippers-in should hang back till the line has been hit off4 ,if the covert is a large one1 the huntsman will1 of course1 go in with his hounds1 and the first whipper-in should take a ride parallel to him1 so that they may have the hounds between them4 ,if the hounds are running down wind the second whipper-in may with advantage get on to the far end1 but if it is up wind or the fox is tired1 he will do better to keep a quarter behind the huntsman1 as in these cases the fox is sure to turn back before he has gone far1 and if he does not the hounds will soon run into him without help4 ,a hunted fox is a most difficult thing to be certain about1 and at times even the most experienced will be deceived4 ,a fox that is very tired indeed will at times1 and especially if he is being holloaed at1 look and move exactly like a fresh one2 but if you are lucky enough to get a good view of him without his seeing you1 you can generally tell4 ,if you are a good way ahead of the hounds1 and the hunted fox comes up to you and lies down1 and you hear the pack hunting up to him1 let him lie2 watch him1 but do not say a word4 ,every minute he lies there is bringing his enemies nearer to him1 and making his death more certain4 ,of course1 if the hounds are manifestly at fault1 or have changed on to a fresh fox1 you must attract the huntsman's attention somehow4 ,in the open this can generally be done by holding up your cap without moving the fox2 in covert you will probably be obliged to give him a holloa1 but you must not do so till other means have failed4 ,lastly1 save your horses as much as you can consistently with doing your work1 and save them before they are tired2 it is too late to do so afterwards4 ,always choose the best and soundest going you can4 ,jump no large fence when a small one or a gate will land you as near the hounds4 ,try and keep up your zeal and attention all day1 and be as keen in the evening as in the morning2 and as long as the huntsman thinks it worth while to persevere after his fox do you persevere too1 and do your level best to help to end the day with a kill1 however hopeless such a result may at times appear4 ,always be neat and tidy1 and take a pride in cleaning your hunting things well and putting them on smartly4 ,,the ,,riverside ,,press ,,limited1 ,,edinburgh4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected4 ,typographical errors were silently corrected4 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant form was found in this book4 ,text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores 7italics74