You will do more harm than good by turning a fox back in a wood unless he is almost done, as hounds will run him better on fresh ground, and if he keeps straight on. But when he is beaten he should be kept back in one quarter if possible. This should always be done, both in cub-hunting and regular hunting; also if there are many fresh foxes in the covert, so as to avoid changing on to one of them.
BREAKING COVERT IN REGULAR HUNTING
Where your object is to view the fox away, stand close to the covert, and in a position where you can see as far along the side of it and over as much country as possible; let the fox get right well away, a good field, at least, and then holloa “Forward away!” as loud as you like. Watch him as far as you can, and observe, at all events, where he went through the first fence. If he goes away a long distance from you, do not ride up to the place where he broke and begin holloaing down wind, where no one can hear you, but rather turn back towards the huntsman so as to make certain of being heard.
Similarly, if you hear a holloa that the huntsman cannot, do not ride on to the person who is holloaing, for if you do the huntsman will be no more able to hear you than him. Turn back towards the huntsman and pass the holloa on to him.
Never ride after the fox or on his line at all. Should the fox show himself and turn back, keep perfectly quiet, and he will probably go away directly. If, however, the day is a very bad scenting one, and the huntsman is evidently going to draw over his fox, you must let him know in some way or other that there is a fox in the covert. When the fox is away, and the huntsman is coming up with the pack, ride close up to him and tell him quietly what has happened, and how far you saw the fox.
Always remember that the whipper-in who gets most credit from the huntsman is he who makes the latter’s task the easiest.
If one or two couples of hounds come out on the line of the fox ahead of the rest, it is your duty to stop them at all hazards. If they get two or three fields’ start in a stiff country they will spoil any run, however good the scent. This is especially the case on a wild windy day, when the fox has started down wind. On days of this sort, and indeed on a good many others, it is better for the huntsman to blow his hounds out of covert at a place where the fox has not gone away, and lay them on in a body afterwards. One minute judiciously spent in giving every hound a fair start will be saved over and over again in the course of the run.
When the hounds are away it is usual for the first whipper-in to go on with them, and for the second to stay and see them all away; but if the second whipper-in holloas the fox away, and the first is a good way back, the former should go on with the huntsman till the latter comes up, when the second whipper-in can fall back and save his horse, which may have to carry him all day.
When you are bringing up the tail hounds, and you are near the body of the pack, be careful not to make any noise, or you will infallibly get the leading hounds’ heads up should they happen to be at fault. If the latter are running hard those with you will soon leave you and join them.