WITH THE HOUNDS ON A MOTOR

For some reason or other the hounds got him before we had gone very far, so we were able to be right in at the kill, and to obtain one or two photos of a kill, quite a rare occurrence.

We decided to return, as we had not filled up before we came out, and the way the hunt had gone did not lead to a garage.

On our way home we were, however, lucky enough to meet them again, but their luck had been out with the last fox, as scent was bad.

Drawing three more coverts proved fruitless, so we set our beast’s nose for home again.

The Indian was a noisy machine, we were using Castro! R, and the master was noted for his objection to motorists, but we did not even get a scowl from him that day ; we had a good morning’s sport and we were instrumental in bringing the fox to the kill, yet I do not think we made ourselves objectionable in any way.

I would not advise steeple chasing on motor-bikes as a general practice, but if you want to follow hounds on car or bike, it is possible to do so without causing any inconvenience to anyone, only don’t go ahead of the hounds and don’t move away till the whole hunt is at least a quarter mile away, as you will have plenty of time to catch up if necessary and also it will give you time to see which way the fox is going to run.

He often goes out of a covert in a certain direction because he has to, and it is very probable unless the wind is in his favour that he will turn after a short run.

Don’t rev, your engines, and stop them when you stop the car.

If you happen to live in the South, it is generally possible to pick a pack that is meeting near some big woods. This is very often the case on Saturdays and great fun can be had by following hounds on foot, as they seldom get the fox out in the open for very long, and it is possible to keep right in the thick of it at least for a few hours in the morning. Your car or motorcycle can generally be left at a nearby hotel, and you will be able to get a great amount of sport and yet never be very far from your machine.