The Washington herald., 1906-10-21
ETIQUETTE OF HUNT
Master of the Hounds Is a
Literal AutOcrat.
THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T Do
Must Take Your Orders from the VI.
+. H., and Remember that Dogs
which Tou May Wear a Red Coat.
Look Before You Leap Good Rule.

That there is d stern etiquette Of the
hunting field is a fact that has become
plain to the crowds Of Lake Forest peo-
ole who recently have been following"
the runs Of the Onwentsis Hunt Club in
traps and Funabouts. These laws OF con
duct, which have their origin in reason
and common sense. were eIucidated the
other day by an Englshman who has
hunted considerably in Canada and the
United States.
The etiquette Of fox hunting" said he,
is as difficult Of mastery as the rules
OF precedence at a state dinner.
when a man begins hunting the
things he should do are not Of so much
account as the things ne should not do.
A poor seat on a horse or lack OF judg-
meut In taking jumps may escape eriu-
cism with a decent show OF luck; but sins
Of commission are different
THE first lesson is well learned when
the uouId-be huntsman can call hounds
hounds without having to pause to re-
member they are not dogs. Perhaps tho
second is not to get among the hounds.
Then. no matter how much OF j person
age he may be in other fields in life.
the fox hunter must realize that he is
only u private in the hunting field. and
he must take his orders from the master.
Master a Real Despot.
M +. H.-master Of fox hounds:
there was never greater desp0t created.
Ia his pigsEliu throne be holds sway that
might be the envy Of a car or the
dream Of a sultan It has been said that
Kaiser Wilhelm himself became master
OF d German hunt merely to realize the
subHmest heights OF power and ruler
ship.
''The masters word always goes. His
slightest hint or muttered growl. or more
often his gruf vollcy OF fiery. vivid Ian
Cuage, makes the sternest leader Of men
falter and squirm as though he were
caught mounting with his right foot IA
the stirrup, and his fermeHted dictates
are the only mandates which can curb the
/ indlsCreet impetuosities OF some womeH
WHO hunt.
When IN doubt, jump. IS the motto
for a man who wants 10 gain the favor Of
the field, but lest his horse should light
1 upon the unseated body Of some unfor-
tunate hunter on the other side OF the
! fence. It IS desirable. as a preventive TO
/ cOr0ners inquests and tear-bespattered
! interviews with widows. that the tyrO
should in some measure adhere 10 the rule
of jumping and look before he leaps.
There are occasions in a hunt when 4
hUrrying beginner must bide his time and
wait, Because another is good enough 10
dismOunt TO open a five-barTed gate 10 let
the hunt pass through is all the reason
needed why he should not be left at the
! tail end Of the hunt.
Rules of the Game.
Until he is again in his saddle the 9TH
ers cannot galIop away. for. since horses
/ get as keenly excited with the chase as
! riders themselves, his would be no more
willing TO wait for him to mount after the
/ others had gaIloped on than q fox would
/ think of standing still for the hounds to
come up.
The question of proper clothes to be
worn when out hunting frequently pre-
senis pitfalls for the unwary. He should
/ bear in mind that until fully admitted as
! a member of the hunt, no matter what he
/ may wear. let the pattern be as demure
as undertakers' black or fierce as the Rob
/ Roy tartan. il is not his privilege TO sport
| a red coat or other uniform or any hunt
any more than 1t Is the right Of a butch
sr's boy to strut in the uniform OF an adj
miral OF the feet
IF a man hunts in the spring. when the
/ grass is young and growing. by breaking
another canon OF the ancient rules of
hunting, he can bring chagrin 10 the
/ heart Of the most cordial host.
He may spoil the rich, verdant gloss
of the lawn or terrace by riding across
/ IT, or. with a design as sinister If less
/ conspicuous, he may spur his mount back
/ off the avenue and break down the Dor
/ ders.
Not all the gardeners in Germantown
4 can patch them in time for summer. nor
/ can all 4he apothecaries find the remedy
/ that will Iull tho anger felt by the owner