Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-01-15
MASTER or THE HOUNDS.
Qualifications of tho Successful Hunts-
man-Tantalixing the Pack-"Blood."


man-rantaliring the Pack-"Blood."
II a hunter is sufficiently versed in the
craft and has the physical strength, as
well as devotion to the cause, 10 20
through the fatigue-and it is very con-
siderable-of drawing coverts (by far the
most wearisome part OF the whole BUSH
ness), halloaing his hounds away TO their
fox, cheering them in chase, as well as
always being close to them during a run,
he will do well TO hunt them himself;
but it is q task of all things that demands
endurance, patience, keenness, in eminent
degree, and above all, in order to be (.
cessful, an intuitive, Unborn knowledge Of
hunting. He must, moreover, or at least
he ought to, spend q great deal Of his
time in his kennels, often draw out the
hounds TO feed, walk them out in the
airing meadow, and in every way so
familiarize himself with them that they
will care for no one but him, will fly to
his halloa, turning to his voice or even
hand, and, in their own way, absolutely
talk to him.
1t is not, however, every man who,
fond as he may be OF hounds and capable
Of hunting them, cares ~ or can devote
% much time and attention to them at
home-added to which the kennels are
eften several miles from his house; but.
even without the perfo. nance Of all these
domestic details, he will have them as
much under command and as ready to
work for him as he can wish il his hunt
Ing OF them is good enough and il they
get that confidence an his appreciation Of
them, and in his power to guide or help
them, which is indispensable to sport.
Above all, il he is as anxious to kill as
they are themselves, and if, when he bU
his fox In hand, more especially at tie
end Of a hard run or a long day, he
breaks him W in style, making the very
most of the ~bsequies, and tantalizing
them with the expected worry till ihey
are almost frantic.
To see a master or huntsman holding
his fox high in air, a big dog pack in
front of him, every hound mad with x
pectation and baying with that savage,
angry note only heard when they arr
about to eat him, and then with a Lash
"Wharp, tellyo, ~tellyo!" dash the fox
into their faces, to be torn in an instant
into a hundred tatters Of brown"-this
sight is enough to stir even a limpid
spirit, and make it feel there issomething
in fox hunting. There is a great deal of
moonshine talked about blood" but
hounds run just as fast whether they kill
or not. 1t is there instinct to chase-te
drive their hardest on the scent, accord
ing as it serves them-and il makes nc
difference to them whether they have
broken up a brace of foxes in the morn.
ing or not, rs to how they will settle to
their afternoon fox. The primary bust
ness of the huntsman is said to be to XIII
the fox; our own opinion is, that it is
much more to show sport; and IL we were
master Of any hunt servants who used
unfair means, such as heading him back
into their mouths at the end of a covert,
they would not do it q second time and
stay with us.
BLOOD" is a mania with many good
men, but most of all is it carried to ex-
cess in the clubbing season. From the be-
ginning of September. often q fortnight
earlier. for several weeks, the practice is
In take out about thirty couples Of hounds,
the majority being old, or working"
ones, at daylight, throw them into some
small spinnery or other place where there
is known to be q litter, and literally
''mop up" a brace or leash of the unso-
phisticated youngsters before they have
ever heard the sound Of horn or hound.
What young hounds want to learn first
and foremost is tD put their noses down
and hunt a line by scent; and they are
certainly not likely to do this by being
turned loose in some Enclosure where they
are for the greater part Of the time per-
forming natural feats of yalor after hares
and rabbits. The real secret Of this slaugh'
ter OF the in .ocents is 10 ~aggrandize the
total Of masRs at the end of the season.
A crack pack that goes out four and five
days a week will, in a good open season,
bring to hand from seventy 10 a hundred
brace of foxes. But how many Of these
bhave been killed before even Oct. be
fore 0 O'Clock in the m~orning-and not
before more than a dozen ~people-why,
nearly half of ~them.-Outinu.