Chapter D (9)

Having explicitly laid down the rules by which a horse should be selected for the purpose particularly expressed, some farther hints become necessary for his general management, if a wish is entertained to preserve him in a state of purity; for it is well known, there cannot be a greater stigma annexed to the character of a professed sportsman, than his having a GOOD horse in _bad_ condition. The next great qualification to SPEED and TEMPER in a hunter, is the property of leaping, both _standing_ and _flying_; without those (in an enclosed country) his leading perfections are very much reduced in the estimation of the field: on the contrary, if he is in the full and unrestrained possession of these additional, and, indeed, indispensible requisites to complete and confirm his character, a purchaser may always be commanded at any price. One great error is generally prevalent in teaching horses to LEAP, by the young, petulant, and hasty, when _first_ they are brought to the BAR, particularly in and round the Metropolis, where an assistant is frequently seen with a _whip_ to expedite what cannot be proceeded upon with too much kindness and circumspection. Young horses driven to a bar with a whip, and once _alarmed_, are sometimes prevented from becoming good standing leapers during their existence. Instances are very rare of well-bred horses being bad FLYING LEAPERS, particularly with hounds; few, _if any_, have ever been seen willing to stay _behind_ when the pack were before them; they of course require no other instructions, than what the experience of the field affords them. When horses are intended for the field, they should be brought and accustomed to the bar, previous to their being put upon their mettle, and flurried with hounds; when there, the bar should never be less than three feet from the ground; if lower, it only induces the horse to attempt it with one foot, as if to walk or scramble over it; and this is a bad habit to acquire: he should never be permitted to make an effort, till taught to rest entirely upon his haunches, and to raise slowly and gradually both his feet before at the same moment.

Nothing can be more contemptibly ridiculous, than the absurd practice of clothing the BAR with _bushes of furze_; and this is generally introduced, under the plausible pretence of making the horse _clear his leap_; although it is a fact, that almost every horse is terrified in approaching it; and when compelled to take it, or is rather _driven over_, it is in a JUMP of _fear_ and _agitation_; not in a cool, temperate, and steady leap of safety, fit to qualify a HUNTER for the FIELD. A horse can only be made a good standing leaper, by affording him ample time to measure his leap before he attempts it; that is, to observe its height, and take the space necessary for the bend of his knees, the contraction of his legs, and his own altitude to cover the leap with certainty; and this a well-taught horse, of tolerable temper, will generally do, if permitted to adopt his own plan, and use his own exertions: but if unnaturally hurried by the petulance, impatience, or inhumanity, of those about him, _failure_, _injury_, and _disgrace_, frequently ensue. The proper covering for a leaping-bar should either be fern, or clean wheat straw, well secured by a strong packthread, bound transversely and longitudinally in a kind of net-work, (bracing equally every way,) which is not only exceedingly durable, but being composed of articles to which the horse is so accustomed, he naturally approaches it, if gently used, and patiently encouraged, without the least fear or agitation.

The proper stable discipline, and general management, of hunters, are so perfectly understood in the present state of equestrian emulation, and universal improvement, that a few experimental maxims only are required, as mementos to shield the young, inconsiderate, and unwary, from unthinkingly encountering various foundations of vexation, trouble, expence, and disappointment. Those of immense fortunes, and adequate establishments, are not so liable to this aggregate of ills, as those whose more humble and confined possessions restrain them within a much smaller sphere of gratification. To the latter, therefore, it is, such hints of utility are more particularly addressed and submitted, who not having the good fortune to be surrounded with a profusion of subordinates, by whom such offices are generally executed, feel the necessity, and enjoy the happy opportunity, of sometimes personally superintending their own concerns. The great exertions in respect to speed, labour, and durability, of which the well-bred hunter is so evidently capable, are almost beyond belief; and eminently entitle him to every adequate tenderness, care, and attention, that can be possibly bestowed in return. When it is within the compass of the reflecting mind, that an animal of this description is frequently most laboriously engaged for the whole of a dreary winter's day, encountering and surmounting difficulties in succession almost beyond description, (till in many instances nature is nearly exhausted,) no doubt can arise, but the frame must sometimes stand in need of extra assistance upon such occasions.

Of this greater proof need not be adduced, than the deaths of horses which have recently happened, (particularly with the King's stag hounds,) some in the field, and many within a few days after different chases of singular severity; one instance of which is so truly remarkable, that it lays claim to record in the annals of sporting, to prevent its being buried in oblivion. The DEER was turned out at ASCOT HEATH, and, after making BAGSHOT PARK, crossed the whole of the heath country, to Sandhurst, through Finchamstead Woods, Barkham, Arborfield, Swallowfield, and the intervening country, to Tilehurst, below Reading in Berkshire, where he was taken unhurt after a chase of FOUR HOURS and TWENTY MINUTES; horsemen being _thrown out_ in every part of the country through which they passed: one horse dropt _dead_ in the FIELD; another, after the chase, before he could reach a stable; and _seven_ more within the WEEK: of such speed, and almost unprecedented severity, was this run, that _tired_ horses in great danger were unavoidably left at the different inns in the neighbourhood. A tolerable idea of the powers of an English hunter may, from this description, be formed by those who are not sportsmen, and have consequently a very imperfect conception of the task he has to perform; of which incredulity MONS. SAINBEL, professor of the VETERINARY COLLEGE, gave sufficient proof, treating the subject with the utmost indifference, very little short of contempt; declaring, "it was all _chimerical_, and that no horse could be found to continue a chase of that kind _four hours_ in succession."

That such exertions may be continued till nature itself is totally exhausted, must be admitted beyond a doubt; but that they in general happen to horses by much _too slow_ for the CHASE, and to those in _improper condition_, is as clearly ascertained. The result of which facts clearly demonstrate the truth of observations previously made, and forcibly inculcate the indispensible necessity of selecting horses properly formed for the purpose; and as forcibly urge the propriety (indeed the safety) of getting them into condition for the field. When taken up from his summer's run at grass (which every perfect hunter is entitled to) he should go through his regular course of physic; the strength and number of doses to be regulated by the accumulated flesh, and general appearance of the horse: if in a fair, good, clean state, not loaded in substance, and perfectly clean in the skin, more than TWO doses may be superfluous; if labouring under a weight of flesh, flabby, and fluctuating under pressure, less than THREE will prove insufficient; which should be preceded by BLEEDING in _either_, according to the state of the horse. During the operation of physic, the subject should undergo moderate exercise, and great friction in the stable; both which tend to remove and circulate the stagnant fluids, that they may be carried off by the evacuations. Great, regular and patient leg-rubbing is not only absolutely necessary at all times, but more particularly during physic; it braces the solids, and preserves them in a proper state of elasticity; for want of which, they frequently acquire a degree of flaccidity; the legs swell, and, if brought into work _too soon_, continue in that state, _more_ or _less_, during the season.

After the chase (during the dressing in the stable) observation should be made whether injury of any kind has been sustained during the day; either by the heat and friction or pressure of the saddle, the loss of a shoe, stubs, treads, over-reaches, bruises, or lameness of any kind; for any of these once discovered, the necessary remedy should be immediately applied; as it not unfrequently happens, that what in the first instance would only prove a slight or trivial grievance, continues to increase in proportion to the delay in discovery. Horses evidently distrest and fatigued with the labour of the day, displaying lassitude, bodily debility, and loss of appetite, should be nicely attended to; a cordial ball becomes more applicable and useful at this time than any other; frequent supplies of water, with the chill off, in moderate quantities, should never be neglected; every horse is invariably thirsty after a _hard day_; and many will take repeated supplies of water, and plenty of hay, when they will eat no corn; in which case, a good warm mash, of GROUND MALT and BRAN, is an excellent invigorating substitute, and in many of the best managed establishments is _never_ omitted (particularly with tender, delicate, or violent tempered horses) after a _long_ or _rainy_ day, as a preventive to COLD, as well as to DISEASE.

HUNTERS, after long and severe chases, should not be brought _too soon_ into similar exertions; numbers are crippled, broke down, and irrecoverably ruined, for want of a little precautionary patience: brought into the field too early, with a stiff rigidity in the limbs, and without the wonted pliability in the joints, the spirits, as well as the frame, become affected by a consciousness of the deficiency; and the RIDER, upon making the discovery, moves in little less _misery_ than the HORSE, who, feeling his temporary imperfection, seems in fear of falling at every stroke. A horse is best recovered from the visible effect of over fatigue, by a great deal of patient walking, exercise upon the turf, and equally patient friction in the stable: no horse perceptibly affected in FRAME or SPIRITS, by long days or severe chases, should be brought into exercise GALLOPS, till every degree of _stiffness_ is previously worn away, and obliterated in gentle motion, of which they are the first to make discovery, by a renovation of strength and action. It is in many hunting stables an invariable practice, upon the appearance of LAMENESS, to bleed and follow up that with a dose of physic, exclusive of whatever local applications it may be thought necessary to make to the part affected; and this, it must be acknowledged, is very frequently attended with the most salutary effects: naturally, however, leading the mind of scientific investigation to believe, much of the advantage may be derived from the rest obtained during the course, as from the operation of the medicine.

HUNTING,—in its general sense, implies the pleasure of the SPORT at LARGE, without specifying any _particular kind_ of CHASE; of which there are three, and equally well known under the different distinctions of STAG-HUNTING, FOX-HUNTING, and HARE-HUNTING. A minor kind of sport, called OTTER HUNTING, might formerly have been said to constitute a _fourth_; but it is at present so little known, (and much less practised,) that, like HAWKING, it seems nearly buried in oblivion, and promises very little prospect of sporting resurrection.

HUNTING is the pursuit of any species of GAME (or vermin) with a collected body of HOUNDS, sportingly termed a PACK; who, bred for, and broke to, the chase, FIND and HUNT the particular sort to which they are appropriated by _scent_, _drag_, or _trail_, till it escapes by the ARTS, WILES, and SAGACITY, with which it is gifted by NATURE; or, being exhausted, falls _a victim_ to the persevering patience, indefatigable exertions, and instinctive impulse, of the HOUNDS. This sport, in its different degrees, is of very great antiquity, and has been enjoyed, through successive centuries, with gradational improvements; but at no former period has it ever approached its present zenith of unparalleled perfection. Some few reigns past, the enjoyment was considered so truly extatic, that it was engrossed entirely by the NOBLES and superior orders, to the entire exclusion of the people at large, who were then so much in a state of vassalage, as to be held unworthy the participation of so rich a gratification, under the most rigid proscription that legislative and feudal LAWS could frame, or unqualified TYRANNY adopt. Not so in the happy melioration of the present age, when every blessing, every privilege, and every comfort of life, is equally enjoyed from the HIGHEST to the _lowest_, according to the possessions of every individual; under such necessary and indispensible restrictions, as it may have been found, by the Legislature, prudent to adopt, for the preservation of ORDER, and promotion of PUBLIC GOOD.

Nothing can more clearly demonstrate the attracting power, and exhilarating effects, of the CHASE, than the enthusiastic rapture with which it is enjoyed, and the constantly increasing number of its implicit devotees. Cynical opponents will always continue to be generated, inveterately averse to every pleasure, however sublime or select, that is not immediately congenial to their own sensations; and will with avidity declare perpetual war against any gratification, or enjoyment, in which they are not eventually interested, or personally concerned. The bewildered POLITICIAN, who erroneously suspends the _balance_ of _power_ in his own disordered imagination; the PEDANTIC book-worm, who derives _self-consequence_ from his closet; the MISER, who wraps himself up in the _solitary_ consolation of his _canvas comforts_; and those PRIGS of _puppyism_ (by SHAKESPEARE better denominated "_poppinjays_") who exist only in their own personal ambition, and the reflection from the silvered glass, naturally decry pleasures, in which, from the innate sterility, and instinctive apathy, of their own souls, they feel no disposition to engage. LOVERS of the CHASE, who, for time immemorial, have been better known and distinguished by the appellation of SPORTSMEN, are almost proverbial for their mutual offices of civility and friendship; no class of men enter more into the openness and glowing warmth of unsuspecting society, the genial inspiration of PHILANTHROPY, and the infinite inexpressible extent of unsullied HOSPITALITY.

HUNTING, in respect to the enjoyment, as well as the description of each _particular_ kind of CHASE, will be found under their distinct heads of "HARE-HUNTING," "FOX-HUNTING," and "STAG-HUNTING;" leaving nothing for introduction here, but such general remarks, and salutary inculcations, as appertain solely to the systematic concerns of the field. The prudent sportsman is invariably the guardian of his own safety; for, however he may rely upon the attachment and punctuality of an old or faithful servant, he never declines the service of his own faculties, so long as he can derive advantage from their evident utility. He therefore never mounts his horse, however great his haste, however late his hour, without taking a slight (but sufficient) survey of his apparatus: he feels it a duty to himself to observe, and be convinced, that his SADDLE is not fixed in an improper place, but literally in the centre, equally free from the _withers_ as from the _hip-bones_; that his GIRTHS are not only judiciously _tightened_, but that the buckles extend on each side _above_ the PAD, as well as that the STIRRUP-LEATHERS are in too good a state to hazard a chance of their _breaking_; whenever which happens, in the very _heat_ of the CHASE, great danger (if not an accident) certainly ensues.

Thus safely seated, in the full confidence of his own prudent precaution, he never suffers himself, by the persuasions of the weak or inconsiderate, to be diverted from his invariable purpose of proceeding SLOWLY to the place of meeting, or throwing off the HOUNDS; he well knows, not only the manly propriety, but the sporting necessity, of letting a horse unload the carcase before he is brought into brisk action or strong exertion. Upon joining company in the field, he enters into little or no conversation beyond the friendly salutations of the morning; experimentally knowing, the _frivolities_ sported upon such occasions, by the young, the confident, and the inexperienced, are only calculated to excite the _silent curses_ of the HUNTSMAN, and the contempt of the company, by attracting the attention of the HOUNDS. The judicious sportsman, whether the hounds are _drawing_ or RUNNING, is never seen in a place to incur disgrace, by _heading_ the GAME, or _obstructing_ the HOUNDS; it is a business in which he is a proficient, and he is never at a loss in the execution. From an instinctive attachment to the sport, and an implicit observance of custom, he is totally insensible to the _less_ attentive part of the company, but "tremblingly alive" to every _tongue_ of a HOUND. Not a _whimper_, a _challenge_, or _hit_, but vibrates upon his anxious ear; and his whole soul seems absorbed in the eager hope of transmitting the enlivening signal of A VIEW to his distant friends, in equal expectation.

The CHASE thus commenced, he lays as well in with the hounds as the speed of his horse, and the contingencies of the country, will permit; he stands upon no paltry ceremony with, or servile subservience to, local superiors; this alone is the happy spot where all are equal, where personal pride can assume no consequence, dignity can claim no precedence, and an immensity of property is of no avail. Ever attentive to the sport, he ruminates upon no other object than the object of pursuit: his mind is eternally intent upon the GAME, or the _leading hound_; the latter of which he makes it a point never to _lose sight of_, unless by COVERT obscured from his view; when, with the advantage of the WIND, (which he is sure to avail himself of,) and that unerring directory the EAR, he is _seldom_ far from the hounds, or _ever_ thrown out. In every chase there are plenty of _slow goers_ behind, who, prompted by ENVY, are never wanting in the vociferous exclamation of, "Hold hard!" without knowing why; and from no other motive, than not being themselves at the _head_ of _the hounds_. To these clamours he pays not the least attention, if having viewed either the GAME, or the _leading_ hound, and observed the chase going on without interruption; experimentally convinced, those who are the most _forward_, must best know the state of the SCENT by the _check_, or breast-high running of the hounds.

As there is so frequently a jealous clamour about being too _forward_, the zealous sportsman will never condescend to be too far _behind_. He knows his place, and he keeps it. He is never seen in the _body_ and _bustle_ of the _crowd_, riding in a direct line with, and pressing upon, the HEELS of the HOUNDS, but parallel with the last _two_ or _three_ couple of the PACK; where his horse is not only enabled to keep his ground with ease, but the rider enjoys the advantage of observing most minutely every winding of the chase, as well as the various struggles, and enchanting emulative efforts, of the LEADING HOUNDS. In this situation he is sure of seeing where they _throw up_, and knows to a certainty how far they have carried the SCENT; consequently those only who are FORWARD, and know the state of the chase, are properly QUALIFIED to give the signal of "_Hold hard!_" to those _behind_; and not, as is too commonly the case, for those behind to transmit the petulant exclamation to those before. The moment hounds are at fault, he invariably keeps a proper distance, that they may not be obstructed in making _their casts_, or get interspersed amongst the _legs_ of the HORSES. Upon a _hit_ being made, he attends to the hound who made it, and, upon a recovery of the SCENT, goes instantaneously on with the chase; for a loss of ground at so critical a moment, he well knows it is sometimes difficult to regain.

Notwithstanding his enthusiastic attachment to the sport, the SAFETY of his HORSE preponderates over every other consideration; and this inflexible determination is supported by a few invariable rules, which are never broken in upon under any plea, persuasion, or perversion, whatever. No temptation can induce him to deviate from a plan so prudently adopted, and persevered in with such laudable resolution. He is never seen to enter into the _spirit_ of _racing_ during the CHASE, thereby distressing his horse, and wasting the strength that may be found necessary before the conclusion of a _long day_: he scorns the idea of taking _high_ or _large_ leaps when they are truly unnecessary, merely to attract attention, or display his own VALOUR, well knowing, "the better part of valour is discretion." He regulates the speed of his horse by the nature of the country he is engaged to go over, and is never known to ride _hardest_ in the _deepest_ ground. Experience, and attentive observation, having long before convinced him, that whatever distance may have been unavoidably lost under temporary obstacles, may with less difficulty be recovered when the horse's WIND (as well as his strength) is preserved, till he can go more at his ease. Whatever may have been the fate of the day, and whatever the _length_ of the CHASE, it is no sooner concluded, than the same steady and cool deliberation with which he started in the morning accompanies him home: no rash or juvenile example induces him to reduce the estimation of his HUNTER to the standard of a _post-horse_; superior to the instability, and impatient impetuosity, of the majority, he neither TROTS with _one_, or GALLOPS with the _other_; but, regardless of the distance, humanely walks his horse to the place of his destination, where he _sees_, or _knows_, he undergoes the attentive comforts so fully described under the last head.

HUNTING-CAP—is a cap made of leather, and covered with black velvet, fitting close to the head behind, and having a semicircular peak before, for the protection of the face in case of falls, as well as in passing through strong coverts during the chase. In the sporting world it is termed A DASHER, and is supposed to confirm a generally received opinion, that the wearer never swerves from any difficulty that may occur, or refuses any LEAP in the field, but takes them all _in stroke_.

HUNTING-WHIP.—The whip so called, is of different lengths in the handle or stock; having at one end a long thong and lash, to assist occasionally in managing the hounds; and at the other, a HOOK, HAMMER, or CLAW, for the purpose of holding or opening gates.

HUNTSMAN.—The huntsman is a person whose entire business it is to superintend every department of a hunting establishment, as well as to hunt the hounds. As it is an office of considerable trust and responsibility, so it requires no inconsiderable share of those qualifications which constitute some part of the approach to human perfection. It is indispensibly necessary he should be possessed of a comprehensive mind, a clear head, and humane heart; of affable and easy manners; not prone to peevish petulance, or rude brutality. He should be of consistent sobriety, ready observation, quick conception, great personal fortitude, patience, and activity; have a good constitution, an excellent ear, and a sonorous voice. As, however, it may not be inapplicable to have the necessary qualifications more forcibly depicted from the very words of the best experimental authority extant, the opinion of MR. BECKFORD is literally introduced, who says,

"I will endeavour to describe what a good huntsman should be. He should be young, strong, active, bold, and enterprising; fond of the diversion, and indefatigable in the pursuit of it: he should be sensible and good-tempered: he ought also to be sober, exact, civil, and cleanly: he should be a good groom, and an excellent horseman: his voice should be strong and clear; and he should have an eye so quick, as to perceive which of his hounds carries the scent when all are running; and should have so excellent an ear, as always to distinguish the foremost hounds when he does not see them. He should be quiet, patient, and without conceit. Such are the excellencies which constitute a good huntsman. He should not, however, be too fond of displaying them, till necessity calls them forth. He should let his hounds alone, whilst they _can hunt_; and he should have genius to assist them, _when they cannot_."

Although the qualifications of a HUNTSMAN, upon the great scale of universality, should be precisely the same, yet there is an infinite contrast in the various points of execution. No distinct difference of _light_ and _shade_ upon the CANVAS, no effect of the ELEMENTS upon the _human frame_, can be productive of more opposite sensations, than the requisites necessary to form a proper distinction between the modes of hunting HARE or FOX; for the very means calculated for the successful promotion of the one, would in a few minutes prove the evident destruction of the other: from which it is natural to infer, that a huntsman eminently qualified to hunt _either_, would never be likely to acquire CELEBRITY for hunting _both_; for as the accustomed spirit, speed, and dashing impetuosity, of the FOX-HUNTER would soon lose a HARE, so the philosophic patience, and constitutional tardiness, of the HARE-HUNTER would never kill a FOX.

Of this, corroborative proof may be adduced in a subsequent passage from the before-mentioned AUTHOR, where he observes, "It may be necessary to unsay, now that I am turned hare-hunter again, many things I have been saying as a fox-hunter; as I hardly know any two things of the same genus (if I may be allowed the expression) that differ so entirely. What I said, in a former letter, about the huntsman and whipper-in, is in the number. As to the huntsman, he should not be young; I should most certainly prefer one, as the French call it, _d'une certain age_, as he is to be quiet and patient: for patience he should be a very grizzle; and the more quiet he is, the better. He should have infinite perseverance; for a hare should never be given up whilst it is possible to hunt her: she is sure to stop, and therefore may always be recovered. Were it usual to attend to the breed of our huntsmen, as well as to that of our hounds, I know no family that would furnish a better cross than that of the _silent gentleman_ mentioned by the Spectator: a female of his line, crossed with a knowing huntsman, would probably produce a perfect hare-hunter."

The _scent_ of the STAG, the FOX, and the HARE, is so exceedingly different in the duration of _each_, that it requires a method as proportionally different in the pursuit of _either_; all which is practically known to huntsmen, who have no alternative, but to render their endeavours applicable to the kind of chase they are destined to pursue. The scent of the FOX is well known to be the most powerful, as well as the most _volatile_, of any; the scent of the STAG is equally _grateful_ to hounds, but is known to evaporate sooner than the scent of the HARE. In the two first, clamorous exultation _upon view_, is more customary, and more to be justified, than in the latter. STAG or FOX breaks away with the most undaunted fortitude, seeking safety in a rapidity of flight to even a distant and unknown country; in both which the hounds cannot be too fleet; nor can they be laid on _too close_ to the GAME; both deer and fox run the better for it. Not so with the latter; where a general silence should prevail, and the industrious endeavours of the pack should never be obstructed by the busy tongues of officious obtruders; and upon this well-founded position, if they receive no assistance, they encounter no interruption. HARRIERS (as well as their huntsman) should never be permitted to hunt FOX: the strong scent which he leaves, the difference of his running, the indescribable eagerness and noise of the pursuit, all contribute to spoil a harrier, and render no service to the huntsman when they return to HARE again. It is a very prevalent error of the present time, to have bred and crossed harriers to too much speed: the hare is but a mere inoffensive, timid animal, and fully entitled to all the little artifices she can avail herself of to shield her from destruction.

When found, she cannot be permitted to go off too silently before the hounds; her own extreme timidity frequently occasions her _heading_, and the pack are as repeatedly liable to _over-run_ the _scent_. The huntsman, by not pressing _too close_ upon the hounds _himself_, will keep the company at a proper distance also; and when they are thus left to a proper and free use of their own faculties, they are but little likely to over-run it much. The author whose judgment and celebrity has been so frequently mentioned, has something so applicable, and so truly just, in every page upon this subject, that it is impossible to resist the temptation of quoting a few occasional passages, where the intentional meaning is so emphatically and sportingly exprest. He not only accords with every systematic principle of the chase, but so constantly strengthens his opinion with the embellishment of applicable anecdote, that it is impossible to peruse his "Thoughts" without both amusement and instruction. He holds it a rule, "that hounds, through the whole chase, should be left almost entirely to themselves, and not be much hallooed: when the hare doubles, they should hunt through those doubles; nor is a hare hunted fairly when hunted otherwise. They should follow her every step she takes, as well over greasy fallows, as through flocks of sheep; nor should they ever be cast, but when nothing can be done without it."

Making every possible allowance for the diversities of the different chases already alluded to, there are leading rules characteristically annexed to the OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT of the HUNTSMAN, from which hardly any possible circumstance can justify a deviation. In addition to the invariable and indispensible _duties_ of the KENNEL, a strict and regular discipline in the stables (so far as his own and the horses of the whippers-in are concerned) should fall under the eye of his inspection; by well knowing the state of which, he best can tell of what work they are capable. And this is the more necessary, because it is impossible for him to relax from his _duty_ in the _field_: he is the GENERAL OFFICER, having the supreme command, and whom _all_ must obey. Persevere and conquer, should be his motto in the chase. VENI, VIDI, VICI, at his return. This, however, becomes more applicable to the spirit of the huntsman whose good fortune it is to preside over a fox-hunting establishment, where every energetic nerve of emulative sensibility is so constantly roused into action. How different from the languid enjoyment, and frigid apathy, of what is so admirably adapted to the opposite extremes of youth and age! upon which no _two_ opinions can arise: the best authorities admit the _good find_ of a FOX to be preferable to a _bad run_ with the HARE.

From the moment of throwing off, as well as during every progress of the chase, it is the peculiar province of the HUNTSMAN to be at the HEAD of the HOUNDS; once convinced of the abilities of his subordinates, he has nothing to do with what is going on _behind_. The place he should endeavour to keep, when circumstances and unavoidable obstacles do not occur to prevent it, is parallel with the leading BODY of the HOUNDS; in which commanding situation he has unobstructed opportunity to observe what hounds carry the scent; and if it fails, to know to a certainty how far they brought it: as well as ample scope for the exertion of his proper authority, to prevent the horsemen pressing too _eagerly_ upon the HOUNDS (at a moment so truly critical) by the emphatic injunction of "_Hold hard_!" a signal that never can come with so much propriety from any other voice as his own, nor will it be so implicitly obeyed. A huntsman is naturally anxious to obtain _blood_, not only to support the reputation but the excellence of his hounds: he should, however, avoid killing his game _unfairly_, by lifting his hounds too much, or taking them from CHASE to _view_, which is a most cruel, unfeeling, and unsportsman-like practice. If the hounds cannot kill by fair and equitable efforts, the object of pursuit is justly entitled to its escape.

As in hare-hunting it is impossible to press on the hounds too little, so in fox-hunting it is impossible to press them on too much, at least while the scent is good; that failing, much must be left to their own industrious endeavours; those not soon succeeding, the proper casts should be made with judgment, and that without delay. Five minutes lost in hesitation, frequently loses every promised pleasure of the day. It is proverbially asserted, that in a multitude of counsellors there is safety; this is the very moment that proves an _exception_ to the _rule_; for, amidst the variety of obtruded opinions, a huntsman should _think_ before he ACTS; and once determined, abide by his _own_ stability, regardless of the frivolities with which he is so frequently surrounded. If courage is thought a necessary qualification in a huntsman, philosophic patience, upon many occasions, is much more so; for, whilst he sees a number of experienced sportsmen in the field ready to assist his own judicious exertions, he has the mortification to observe double the number moving in a retrograde direction, doing every thing but the thing they should do; riding directly where they should not; probably _heading_ the _game_ into COVERT, at the very moment they ought to be standing still "as silent as the grave." A proper degree of modesty, blended with a little good sense and reflection, would soon prevent those confident inconsiderates from such glaring and absurd acts of indiscretion. It is a maxim resulting from observation in the chase, that those who do not seem anxious, and take pains, to do _good_, are, as it were, habitually unfortunate in doing the very reverse, and becoming (perhaps undesignedly) the almost perpetual instruments of _mischief_; and to this tribe of _misnamed_ sportsmen, a huntsman has in general the most unqualified aversion; convinced that those who mean to render him service, and prolong the sport, know in what particular place they _ought to be_ upon every emergency; and if they are repeatedly elsewhere, to where they should be, he soon knows how to estimate their judgment in the field, and ability in the chase.

The instant a huntsman observes his hounds come to a check, is the moment when his assistance is most wanting; then is the time to enjoin an equal check and silence of the company; every _eye_ and every _ear_ may be anxiously and inquisitively employed, but not the sound of a tongue is necessary upon the occasion. Those who are inclined to _babble_ in a moment of so much doubtful expectation, lay claim to, and generally obtain, a most _contemptuous sneer_ from the HUNTSMAN, and not unfrequently what is called a _blessing_ into the _bargain_. He should at no time be too ready to avail himself of a HALLOO when hounds are at _fault_; they are very often deceptive, and occasion disappointment; exclusive of which, after they have been taken from the spot to which they know they brought the scent, they become less strenuous in their endeavours, when they do not recover it elsewhere, even where they were encouraged to expect it. Boys keeping birds, as well as rustics, from sympathetic enjoyment, frequently lead the huntsman from his point. Mr. Beckford is therefore of opinion, that when a doubt arises, it is better for a whipper-in, or one of the company, to ride forward, and inquire; it is only the loss of a little time; whereas if you gallop away to a _halloo_, and are obliged to return, the hounds become very indifferent, and it is a chance if they make another effort to recover the scent afterwards.

Not the least attention should be paid by a HUNTSMAN to any halloo unless the hounds are at _fault_; a huntsman taking his hounds from the chase (when running with a good scent) to a halloo, without much more than a _common_ cause, ought to be dismissed as a _fool_ or a madman. Hounds are sometimes hallooed too much, and too frequently permitted to obey it; the consequence is, they are no sooner at _fault_ than they expect it: huntsmen hurt their hounds by availing themselves of such advantage, it makes them indifferent; they are always upon the listen, become more and more slack, particularly in COVERT. So long as hounds can _carry on_ the scent, it must be admitted a very poor and paradoxical practice to take _them off_; but when, with all their fair and indefatigable exertions, it cannot be recovered, it then becomes a duty to render them every assistance. Cases sometimes occur in opposition to every effort (particularly in covert) where the leading hounds, in running, get a head of the huntsman, and much before the principal body of the pack; in such situation, he must strenuously surmount intervening difficulties, with all possible resolution, and get to them as fast as he can, with what he can collect of the PACK, and leave the remainder to be _hallooed forward_, and brought along by the whipper-in.

HUNTSMEN who have too much _dash_ themselves, dash with so much rapidity in drawing from one covert to another, that they frequently leave hounds behind; and the whipper-in (where there is but _one_, and there ought always to be _two_) being no less eager than the huntsman to be forward, renders what was an _error_ in the _first_ instance, a confirmed fault in the next. It would be more sportsman-like to get the hounds collected, and bring them away all together; it might sometimes prevent the return of a whipper-in for even a _single skirter_, more particularly at the conclusion of the day, when hounds are hallooed off for home. Left behind, they become liable to loss as well as accident: when once addicted to _skirting_, it becomes a growing vice, and is seldom discontinued; they acquire confidence in hunting by themselves, which they never relinquish, and would rather dwell upon their _own_ tongue, than give proper credit to another: in which persevering obstinacy they continue, till the pack, drawn off, and evening coming on, they are left to make their weary way through a dreary country; or, exposed to the inclemency of a winter's night, take up their lodging upon the ground, with the additional chance of being attacked and worried by every dog they see in exploring their way the following morning.

HURLE (OR WHIRL) BONE—is situate in the centrical part of the hind-quarter, midway between the hip-bone and the gaskin, and is more known now by the appellation of ROUND-BONE, than the former, which is almost obsolete, unless in particular country districts. Notwithstanding the singular strength of its formation, and peculiar junction with the lower extremity of the hip-bone, it is liable to injury from sudden turns or twists in too confined a space, and should be the more particularly guarded against; as being deep seated, no relief can be obtained, but by long and patient daily FOMENTATION, followed by stimulative strengthening EMBROCATION.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

TAPLIN, VETERINARY SURGEON,

AUTHOR OF _The Gentleman's Stable Directory_; (2 VOLS.) "A Compendium of Farriery," and "Multum in Parvo;"

REMOVED FROM EDGEWARE ROAD, TO _SLOANE SQUARE_,

Begs to make his most grateful Acknowledgements to those Noblemen and Gentlemen, who have continued to honour him with their Patronage during the _fourteen years_ he has been energetically employed in endeavouring to promote a Reform in the former _cruel_ and _erroneous_ System of Farriery. It is the greatest ambition of his life to have seen that endeavour fully accomplished. Since the original Publication of his "GENTLEMAN'S STABLE DIRECTORY," he has exultingly surveyed, not only the Institution, the Erection and the Establishment of the VETERINARY COLLEGE, but the almost incredible increase of VETERINARY SURGEONS in every Town; and _Veterinary Druggists_ in every Street of the Metropolis. Many of these, with a certain degree of Professional Fertility, not only do him the _honour_ to imitate his long-established HORSE MEDICINES; but others, with a degree of Liberality _peculiar_ to _themselves_, offer to supply the Public with "_cheap_ and _efficacious_" Horse Medicines, for even _half_ what Mr. Taplin's GENUINE Ingredients can be obtained at the first Commercial Houses in the City of London. To the judicious and enlightened this _Mystery_ will sufficiently explain itself. Mr. Taplin, so long honoured by the Countenance and Support of the most distinguished and opulent Characters, never indulged a momentary Idea of dispensing _Cheap_ Medicines, because his Principles would never permit him to put his Hand dishonourably into the Pockets of his best Friends; nor would his well-known Attachment to the Animal, allow him to prepare a single Article upon the genuine Property and expected probable Efficacy of which, he is not only ready at all times to pledge his Reputation, but his Existence. The honour of supplying near _six hundred_ Gentlemen, (a List of whom may be seen,) exclusive of his different Agents, preclude the necessity of pestering the Public with perpetual Advertisements; rendering it at the Commencement of every Season, only necessary to communicate respectful Information, that Gentlemen residing in any part of the Kingdom, addressing their Commands to MR. TAPLIN, Sloane-Square, LONDON, shall have their Medicines immediately dispatched by whatever Conveyance they may please to appoint.

_List of Medicines, with their Prices._

_s._ _d._ Mild Purging Balls 1 6 _each_. Stronger ditto 2 0 Mild Mercurial Purging Balls 2 0 Stronger ditto 2 6 Cordial Rhubarb Purging Balls 2 6 Purging Balls for Worms 2 6 Mild Diuretic Balls for Cracks, Scratches, Surfeit, Hide-bound, or fluctuating Humours 9 0 _per doz._ Stronger ditto, for perceptible Foulness, Defects of the Eyes, Swelled Legs, and Grease 12 0 Pectoral Cordial Balls for recent Colds or Coughs, and to be given after severe chases and long journies 12 0 Pectoral Detergent Balls, for Obstinate Coughs, or Asthmatic and Thick Winded Horses 12 0 Fever Balls 1 6 _each_. Balls for Looseness or Scouring 1 6 Ditto for the Strangury, or Suppression of Urine 1 6 Ditto for the Flatulent Cholic, or Fret 2 0 Ditto for the Inflammatory Cholic or Gripes 2 0 Blistering Ointment for Lameness, Spavins, Splents, or Curbs 4 0 _per pot_. Embrocation for Lameness or Strains 3 6 _per bottle_. Alterative Powders, for Cracks, Scratches, Surfeit, Hide-bound, Mange, Grease, or Worms 8 0 _per doz._ Camphorated Sperma-cæti Liniment, for Cracks 3 0 per pot. Saturnine Solvent, for Splents 5 0 _per bottle_. An Efficacious Collyrium for all Defects and Defluxions of the Eyes 3 6 _per pint_. Mercurial Purging Balls for Dogs 4s. & 6 0 _per doz._

MR. TAPLIN _continues to give Advice upon the_ DEFECTS _and_ DISEASES _of_ HORSES, _and to render Assistance in all Cases of_ DIFFICULTY _and_ DANGER, _within_ TEN MILES _of the_ METROPOLIS, _upon the most moderate Terms._