THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



not have taken a thousand guineas for him last 

 season ; but he feared he was going wrong, having 

 become lame in the frost.' 



" ' Tom Thumb,' replied Dick, ' is gone into the 

 Dowager Duchess's coach in London ; and a good 

 job he is. The Duke was terrible fond of jumping 

 gates on him. He jumped seven one day, and, by 

 all accounts, he liked to have jumped one too many. 

 Depend upon it, Tom Thumb had had too many 

 hot shirts with that Scotch gentleman before he 

 came to us ; he was weak in his loins and his 

 hocks.' 



" But to return to the stud. I much like the 

 style of horse for the Duke's own riding, of which 

 he has twelve ; they are well bred, of commanding 

 height, and quite equal to his weight. Free- 

 Martin and Archdeacon may be said to be the 

 flowers of the flock ; and the Duke told me that 

 Mr. Maxse had given a high character of Arch- 

 deacon (and of Sampson), after having ridden 

 him a run. Will Long has likewise eight first- 

 rate horses for his use, leaving fifteen well-seasoned 

 hunters for the whips and other purposes ; namely, 

 for the use of friends. The remaining ten, which 

 Dick does not admit to the honourable appellation 

 of hunters, are, many of them, first-rate hacks ; 

 amongst them old Mayflower — deserving all Dick's 

 encomiums upon her, and also one of the most 

 elegant animals I ever beheld in any country in 

 the form of a milk-white mare, full of Arabian 



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