第 5 节
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连过十一人 更新:2021-02-27 01:34 字数:9321
'8' Or; 〃neither soft and spongy nor unyielding。〃 See Stoneh。; p。 23。
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'9' 〃Drawn up underneath it;〃 lit。 〃tucked up。〃
'10' Al。 〃flank;〃 〃flanks themselves。〃
'11' Or; as we should say; 〃stern。〃 See Pollux; v。 59; Arrian; v。 9。
'12' See Stonehenge; p。 24 foll。
Hounds possessed of these points will be strong in build; and at the
same time light and active; they will have symmetry at once and pace; a
bright; beaming expression; and good mouths。
In following up scent;'13' see how they show their mettle by rapidly
quitting beaten paths; keeping their heads sloping to the ground; smiling;
as it were to greet the trail; see how they let their ears drop; how they keep
moving their eyes to and fro quickly; flourishing their sterns。'14' Forwards
they should go with many a circle towards the hare's form;'15' steadily
guided by the line; all together。 When they are close to the hare itself; they
will make the fact plain to the huntsman by the quickened pace at which
they run; as if they would let him know by their fury; by the motion of
head and eyes; by rapid changes of gait and gesture;'16' now casting a
glance back and now fixing their gaze steadily forward to the creature's
hiding…place;'17' by twistings and turnings of the body; flinging
themselves backwards; forwards; and sideways; and lastly; by the genuine
exaltation of spirits; visible enough now; and the ecstasy of their pleasure;
that they are close upon the quarry。
'13' Lit。 〃Let them follow up the trail。〃
'14' Lit。 〃fawning and wagging their tails。〃
'15' Lit。 〃bed〃 or 〃lair。〃
'16' Or; 〃by rapid shiftings of attitude; by looks now thrown backward
and now forwards to the 。 。 。〃 Reading {kai apo ton anablemmaton
kai emblemmaton ton epi tas kathedras tou l。}; or if with L。 D。; {kai
apo ton a。 kai emblemmaton eis ton ulen kai anastremmaton ton epi
tas k。}; transl。 〃now looking back at the huntsman and now staring
hard into the covert; and again right…about…face in the direction of the
hare's sitting…place。〃
'17' Lit。 〃form〃; 〃the place where puss is seated。〃
Once she is off; the pack should pursue with vigour。'18' They must not
relax their hold; but with yelp and bark full cry insist on keeping close and
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dogging puss at every turn。 Twist for twist and turn for turn; they; too;
must follow in a succession of swift and brilliant bursts; interrupted by
frequent doublings; while ever and again they give tongue and yet again
till the very welkin rings。'19' One thing they must not do; and that is;
leave the scent and return crestfallen to the huntsman。'20'
'18' Lit。 〃let them follow up the chase vigorously; and not relax;
with yelp and bark。〃
'19' {dikaios}; Sturz; 〃non temere〃; 〃and not without good reason。〃
Al。 〃a right good honest salvo of barks。〃
'20' Lit。 〃Let them not hark back to join the huntsman; and desert the
trail。〃
Along with this build and method of working; hounds should possess
four points。 They should have pluck; sound feet; keen noses; and sleek
coats。 The spirited; plucky hound will prove his mettle by refusing to leave
the chase; however stifling the weather; a good nose is shown by his
capacity for scenting the hare on barren and dry ground exposed to the sun;
and that when the orb is at the zenith;'21' soundness of foot in the fact that
the dog may course over mountains during the same season; and yet his
feet will not be torn to pieces; and a good coat means the possession of
light; thick; soft; and silky hair。'22'
'21' i。e。 〃at mid…day〃; or; 〃in the height of summer〃; al。 〃during the
dog…days〃; 〃at the rising of the dog…star。〃
'22' See Pollux; ib。 59; Arrian; vi。 1。
As to the colour proper for a hound;'23' it should not be simply tawny;
nor absolutely black or white; which is not a sign of breeding; but
monotonousa simplicity suggestive of the wild animal。'24' Accordingly
the red dog should show a bloom of white hair about the muzzle; and so
should the black; the white commonly showing red。 On the top of the
thigh the hair should be straight and thick; as also on the loins and on the
lower portion of the stern; but of a moderate thickness only on the upper
parts。
'23' See Stonehenge; p。 25; Darwin; op。 cit。 ii。 109。
'24' But see Pollux; ib。 65; who apparently read {gennaion touto to
aploun alla therides}; al。 Arrian; vi。 See Jaques de Fouilloux; 〃La
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Venerie〃 (ap。 E。 Talbot; 〃Oeuvres completes de Xenophon;〃
traduction; ii。 318)。
There is a good deal to be said for taking your hounds frequently into
the mountains; not so much for taking them on to cultivated land。'25' And
for this reason: the fells offer facilities for hunting and for following the
quarry without interruption; while cultivated land; owing to the number of
cross roads and beaten paths; presents opportunities for neither。 Moreover;
quite apart from finding a hare; it is an excellent thing to take your dogs on
to rough ground。 It is there they will become sound of foot; and in general
the benefit to their physique in working over such ground will amply
repay you。'26'
'25' Or; 〃pretty often; and less frequently over。〃
'26' Lit。 〃they must be benefited in their bodies generally by working
over such ground。〃
They should be taken out in summer till mid…day; in winter from
sunrise to sundown; in autumn any time except mid…day; and in spring any
time before evening。 These times will hit the mean of temperature。'27'
'27' Or; 〃You may count on a moderate temperature at these times。〃
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V
The tracks of hares are long in winter owing to the length of night; and
short for the opposite reason during summer。 In winter; however; their
scent does not lie in early morning; when the rime is on the ground; or
earth is frozen。'1' The fact is; hoar frost by its own inherent force absorbs
its heat; whilst black frost freezes it。'2'
'1' Or; 〃when there is hoar frost or black frost〃 (lit。 〃ice〃)。
'2' Or; 〃the ice congeals them;〃 〃encases as it were in itself the
heat;〃 i。e。 the warm scent; aliter; 〃causes the tracks to freeze at the
top。〃
The hounds; moreover; with their noses nipped by the cold;'3' cannot
under these conditions'4' use their sense of smell; until the sun or the mere
advance of day dissolves the scent。 Then the noses of the hounds recover;
and the scent of the trail begins to exhale itself perceptibly。'5'
'3' Reading {malkiosai}; Cobet; 〃N。 Lect。〃 131。 〃Mnem。〃 3; 306;
Rutherford; 〃N。 Phry。〃 p。 135。 = 〃nipped; or numb with cold。〃 For
vulg。 {malakiosai} = 〃whose noses are tender;〃 see Lenz ad loc。
'4' Lit。 〃when the tracks are in this case。〃
'5' As it evaporates。 Aliter; 〃is perceptible to smell as it is wafted
by the breeze to greet them。〃
Heavy dews also will obliterate scent by its depressing effect;'6' and
rains occurring after long intervals; while bringing out odours from the
earth;'7' will render the soil bad for scent until it dries again。 Southerly
winds will not improve scentbeing moisture…laden they disperse it;
whereas northerly winds; provided the scent has not been previously
destroyed; tend to fix and preserve it。 Rains will drown and wash it away;
and so will drizzle; while the moon by her heat'8' especially a full
moonwill dull its edge; in fact the trail is rarestmost irregular'9'at
such times; for the hares in their joy at